LYNCHBURG, Va. – Appalachian State field hockey scored a pair of fourth-quarter goals in a 5-2 defeat at Liberty on Saturday afternoon.
Junior
Veerle Van Heertum notched a goal in the 52nd minute to get the Mountaineers on the board.
Meghan Smart then doubled Appalachian's tally with just under 30 seconds remaining in regulation. Junior
Chloe Bell picked up the assist on Van Heertum's strike, while freshman
Rachel Fleig registered an assist on Smart's score.
The Mountaineers outshot the Flames 9-4 in the fourth quarter while also holding a 3-1 advantage in penalty corners in the final period.
App State and Liberty played 20 extra minutes in the exhibition, including a 15-minute fifth period and a five-minute overtime. Eight Mountaineers combined to tally a total of 19 shots throughout the 80 minutes. Smart led App State with seven shots, five of which were on target. Van Heertum recorded four shots with three on goal.
Senior goalkeeper
Rachel Gaines made 17 saves in the goal cage, saving six shots in the final 20 minutes.
Liberty, who finished No. 15 in the final NCAA Field Hockey RPI poll in 2018, scored twice in the first period to take an early 2-0 advantage. The Flames then scored two more goals in the third quarter to double their lead.
App State opens the regular season Friday at Towson in Towson, Md. The season opener is set to begin at 3 p.m.
