Mountaineers Grind Out 2-1 Victory at Georgia State

Box Score ATLANTA - After a double-overtime setback against South Alabama on Friday, Appalachian State University women's soccer (2-6-2, 1-0 SBC) bounced back in a big way with a 2-1 victory over Georgia State (2-6-1, 0-2 SBC) on Sunday afternoon at GSU Soccer Field.

Kat Greer's third goal of the season and second in as many contests couldn't have been more clutch, as she tapped the ball into the frame after the initial shot went behind Georgia State's goalkeeper. Taylor Ray stopped Georgia State's final chance to tie the match for one of her four saves. 

Appalachian held on for the final 2:11 of the game, avoiding a 0-2 start to conference play while already off to a better start than last season. The Black and Gold didn't get their first conference win of the season until Oct. 2 in addition to Sunday's victory being the first road win of the season for the Mountaineers. 

"Today was a true Sunday conference match," head coach Sarah Strickland said following the win. "Both teams battled for the entire match, and Georgia State was fantastic both on and off the field. They were challenging to defend, and they created some dangerous opportunities. This was a tough weekend of travel, competition, and recovery. I'm so proud of these girls for grinding out the win today." 

Much like Friday's contest, the Apps got off to a strong start when Sharon Osterbind registered her second goal of the season just over 11 minutes into the match to put Appalachian up with a 1-0 lead. The Appalachian defense did a great job of containing GSU's offense allowing just two shot attempts in the opening stanza, resulting in the advantage at the break. 

Georgia State didn't go away quietly as Yvonne Ploeg would tie things up with a goal of her in the 61st minute. The Mountaineers and Panthers went back and forth until Greer capitalized on her opportunity at the 86-minute mark.

Five of App State's eight shots were on target with Erin Settle firing off two attempts at the net, while Lindsey Tully chipped in with a shot on goal as well.

App State will return home next Sunday with a 1 p.m. home match against Troy for the first of back-to-back contests at Ted Mackorell.