BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University field hockey (2-0) looks to continue its impressive start with matchups against Lafayette and Davidson this weekend. The Mountaineers travel to Lynchburg, Va., for a neutral site matchup against the Leopards on Friday before hosting Davidson in their first home game of 2019 on Sunday at noon.
About the Mountaineers
App State opened the 2019 campaign with a pair of shutout victories, marking the first time since 2010 that the Mountaineers started the season 2-0. Appalachian's defense shut down Towson on Friday, outshooting the Tigers 11-2 in a 3-0 triumph. Junior
Meghan Smart secured a brace in Appalachian's victory, while sophomore
Friederike Stegen also notched her first goal of the season.
Two days later, the Mountaineers claimed a 1-0 victory over Georgetown, defeating the Hoyas for the first time since 2014. Smart again scored the contest's game-winning score early in the second half off a pass from senior
Melissa Nobile.
Senior goalkeeper
Rachel Gaines, the MAC's reigning Defensive Player of the Week, made nine saves between the two games. Gaines made seven stops against Georgetown, including five in the third period after the Mountaineers scored the eventual game-winning goal. After the first two games of 2019, the senior has eight shutouts and 364 saves in her App State career.
Scouting Lafayette (1-1)
Lafayette split its first two games of the season this past week, registering a 2-1 victory at home against VCU before falling 3-2 at No. 18 Syracuse in double overtime. Four different student-athletes tallied goals for the Leopards in their first two games – freshman Felicitas Hannas, senior Sam Di Maio, junior Audrey Sawers and senior Caroline Turnbull. Turnball ranked fourth on the team this past season with five goals, adding a pair of assists in a 12-point 2018 campaign. Seventh-year head coach Jennifer Stone returns 12 upperclassmen, including senior goalkeeper Sarah Park. In 2018, the Leopards finished 8-11, winning six of their final eight games during the regular season.
Scouting Davidson (0-2)
Davidson opened the 2019 season with a pair of defeats, dropping its season opener 5-2 at Georgetown before suffering a 1-0 loss against Ball State. The Wildcats allowed just two shots in the second half to Ball State, but the Cardinals used early momentum to grab a goal in the second quarter. Junior Caitlyn Gund leads the Wildcats with four shots, while juniors McGee Roman and Sydney McKenna tie for the team lead in points with two apiece. Davidson also begins the 2019 season with first-year head coach Zoe Almquist. After a successful career as a player at Northwestern, Almquist stayed at her alma mater and served as an assistant coach for five seasons. She also worked on UMass' staff before accepting the Davidson job. Almquist's roster includes seven freshmen and four sophomores. The Mountaineers defeated Davidson 3-0 in preseason action at Brandon and Erica M. Adcock Field.
Series History
Lafayette – Appalachian has only faced the Leopards once since 1999, falling 2-1 in a neutral site matchup in Harrisonburg, Va, in 2017. The Mountaineers fired 14 shots, including eight on target, in the narrow defeat to Lafayette. The Leopards jumped out to a 2-0 advantage before
Ali Williams notched a goal off a penalty corner with just under 12 minutes remaining. Caroline Turnbull tallied the first goal for Leopards in the 2-1 Lafayette win.
Davidson – App State has faced Davidson 23 times since 2006, holding a 7-15-1 record against the Wildcats. The Mountaineers, however, have found recent success against Davidson, winning four of its past five contests against the in-state foe. The Black and Gold captured a 3-2 victory in double overtime over Davidson this past season.
Veerle Van Heertum notched the game-winning goal off an assist from
Kaley Selner to boost App State to 4-1 on the season.
What's Next
App State hits the road again with a pair of matches in Pennsylvania. The Mountaineers travel to Loretto, Pa., to face Saint Francis on Sept. 13 before closing out their road trip at Lock Haven on Sept. 15. The Black and Gold fell 3-2 at home to Saint Francis in overtime this past season.
