BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University field hockey will travel on the road this weekend for their first set of road tests against James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. on Friday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. and will confront LIU Brooklyn in Davidson, N.C. on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 1 p.m.
The Mountaineers (0-2) are entering this weekend with much experience with three exhibition matches and two regular-season home games under their belts. In the past two games, 12 players have seen action on the field and many newcomers have contributed great plays on the pitch. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Rachel Gaines has been a force at net deflecting 12 goals and has calculated 146:53 minutes of play. Freshmen Melissa Nobile, Ali Williams , and Kaley Selner have already recorded one goal for the season, and upperclassmen Taylor Cimbalist has continued to lead on the field scoring one goal, dishing out one assist, and striking five shots on goal.
Dethroning the Dukes
No. 19 James Madison rolled over Longwood 6-2 on Tuesday, Aug. 31 and edged out No. 13 Liberty 3-2 off of a penalty stroke from junior Hannah Hall in their first match of the 2016 season. That was the second time JMU has ever defeated a ranked opponent in a home-opener.
The Dukes (2-0) were slated as the 19th-best team in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Preseason Poll gathering 175 points. In addition, JMU was chosen to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) receiving three first-place votes and totaling 32.
In 2015, JMU finished with a 14-6 record and took home the CAA regular-season title.
Individually, the Mountaineers will confront CAA Rookie of the Week Lisa Lejeune who began her freshman campaign scoring the game-tying goal in last week's match against Liberty and saw 63 minutes of action. In addition, App State will face the dominant offensive presence that junior forward Hannah Hall brings to the Dukes. On Tuesday versus Longwood, she scored a pair of goals, one of off a penalty stroke, and dished out two assists
At net, goalkeeper Sara Kraeutler batted away five shots on goal and played 140 minutes in their last two games. The Dukes are 2-0 with Kraeutler at goal.
Knocking Down the Blackbirds
The LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds are welcoming in their inaugural field hockey season with the Mountaineers as their second opponent. Head Coach Pat Kennedy has signed a great recruiting class of 19 student-athletes who will embark on the new journey of being LIU's first ever field hockey team in program history.
The newcomers are highlighted by freshmen Casey Carrigan, Molly Jannell, and Marisa Batista. Carrigan was a four-year varsity letterwinner in field hockey and was the Philadelphia Catholic League's leading scorer her sophomore and junior year. Janell was a three-year letterwinner in field hockey and was a member of Team SOCHI who placed fourth at the USA Field Hockey National Championships. Lastly, Batista helped lead her team to No. 2 in the national rankings as a senior and was a member of the team that won the Pennsylvania State Championships.
Quick Notes
App State field hockey will enter into the Mid-American Conference in the fall of 2017 ... six starters return for the 2016 season including leading scorers Taylor Cimbalist (17 points), Micaela Diedericks (Cape Town, South Africa/Wynberg Girls) (13 points) and Jordan Van Cleave (Louisville, Ky./Ballard) (10 points) … last year the Mountaineers finished 4-13 in Independent play with key wins against Missouri State, La Salle, Saint Louis, and Davidson … Record Book Watch: junior Taylor Cimbalist currently ranks second all-time in single-season assists (9).
