BOONE, N.C. – Junior
Veerle Van Heertum's goal less than two minutes into the second half lifted Appalachian State University field hockey to a 2-1 win at home over Saint Louis.
The Mountaineers (9-5, 1-3 MAC) fell behind 1-0 in the second period before rallying for their ninth win of the season. Appalachian's ninth win of 2019 is the most in a single season during head coach
Meghan Dawson's tenure.
App State's 2-1 win over Saint Louis (0-13) also completes a 5-0 sweep over Atlantic 10 opponents this season.
"You're always happy to come away with a win," Dawson said. "We didn't play our best, but it shows our depth to still be able to come out and get the win. Our team keeps developing its confidence and what it takes to win, even on challenging days."
After Saint Louis (0-13) grabbed an early 1-0 lead, freshman
Madison Miles responded with a crafty individual goal to knot the game at 1-1. Miles darted into the center of the circle before burying a backhanded effort into the goal cage. Miles' first-career goal helped App State enter halftime with an 8-5 advantage in shots, including a 5-2 edge in the first period.
Less than two minutes after the start of the second half, the Mountaineers earned their final penalty corner of the afternoon. Miles received the insert from fellow freshman
Pauline Mangold before Van Heertum fired home her sixth goal of 2019. Mangold and Miles earned assists on Van Heertum's game-winning strike.
Appalachian's defense locked down the Billikens' offense in the second half, allowing just a single shot in the final 30 minutes. Senior goalkeeper
Rachel Gaines amassed four saves for the Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers played 13 players off their bench in Sunday's win, which included a shot on goal from freshman
Rachel Fleig.
Junior
Meghan Smart led Appalachian with four shots. Van Heertum finished second in shots with two.
App State closes out its home slate on Friday against Kent State (9-6, 4-0 MAC) at 5 p.m. Friday's matchup will mark Senior Day for seven Appalachian student-athletes.
