BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University field hockey opens the regular season with games at Towson on Friday and Georgetown on Sunday. Friday's matchup is slated for 3 p.m. in Towson, Md., while Sunday's contest is set for noon in Washington, D.C.
About the Mountaineers
App State begins its third season in the Mid-American Conference. The Mountaineers earned a tournament champion vote in the 2019 MAC Field Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll, which comes one year after Appalachian made it to the semifinals in the MAC Tournament for the first time in program history. Mid-American Conference coaches also predicted the Mountaineers to finish fifth in regular season conference play.
Head coach
Meghan Dawson and her staff return 21 student-athletes from 2018, including 12 upperclassmen. Junior
Meghan Smart paced the Mountaineers in preseason action with three goals in two games. Another upperclassman, junior
Veerle Van Heertum, notched a goal in App's preseason finale at Liberty. Sophomore
Anna Smarrelli and freshman
Madison Miles rounded out App State's scoring with a goal each against Davidson.
The Mountaineers open the 2019 season with the same opponents they faced to begin the 2018 campaign. Appalachian blanked Towson 2-0 at home in 2018's season opener, securing goals from
Friederike Stegen and
Chloe Bell. The Black and Gold are 2-0 in their past two season openers, outscoring opponents 5-1. Georgetown defeated the Mountaineers 2-0 in 2018's matchup at Brandon and Erica M. Adcock Field.
Scouting Towson
The Tigers finished 1-17 in 2018, securing their sole victory of the season in a home triumph over LIU Brooklyn. Towson improved throughout the season, losing four of their final five games by a single goal. Third-year head coach E.A. Jackson also signed another large freshman class, bringing in 13 student-athletes to supplement Towson's roster. Towson returns only seven upperclassmen – six juniors and one senior. Among the losses from Towson's roster this past season includes leading goal scorer Katie McNeel, who recorded seven goals and three assists in 2018. Junior Abby Webster scored three goals as a sophomore while junior Beira Ho registered two goals and three assists a season ago.
Scouting Georgetown
The Hoyas finished 2018 with an 11-7 record, holding a 2-5 mark against Big East opponents. Georgetown opened 2018 with five-straight victories, boasting a 16-2 goal differential over the five-game stretch. Third-year head coach Christy Longacre enters 2019 with a veteran team with seven juniors and seven seniors. A group of nine underclassmen – four freshmen and five sophomores – rounds out Longacre's squad. The Hoyas outscored their opponents 43-36 in 18 games, averaging more than 11 shots per game. Junior Cami Osborne and senior Lindsay Getz combined to register 39 points a season ago, scoring 17 goals and recording five assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Ciara Weets also returns. Weets started all 18 of Georgetown's games, making 84 saves while posting a .712 save percentage.
Series History
Towson – Appalachian has won its past two matchups against the Tigers, shutting out Towson 2-0 in 2018 and registering a 2-1 victory in 2014.
Rachel Gaines recorded four saves in this past season's shutout. Before 2014, the Tigers have defeated App State four times since 2006.
Georgetown – Since 2004, the Mountaineers are 4-4 against the Hoyas. App State outshot Georgetown 10-9 in 2018's matchup, but Jax Van Der Veen and Helena Masiello scored a goal each to power the Hoyas to the shutout victory. The Mountaineers cruised to three-straight wins against Georgetown from 2004-10, earning their largest win in 2004 with a 3-1 victory.
What's Next
Appalachian travels to Lynchburg, Va., on Sept. 6 to face Lafayette in a neutral site contest. The Mountaineers then open their home schedule with a game against Davidson on Sept. 8. Appalachian shut out the Wildcats in preseason action on Aug. 18.
