BOONE, N.C. - App State wraps up regular season play, Thursday, when they travel to San Marcos, Texas for a matchup with the Texas State Bobcats. First touch is set for 8 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
ABOUT APP STATE: App State (6-7-4, 5-4-0) is riding a three-match win streak, following a 3-1 victory on Sunday over Louisiana on Sunday.
Katie Fuller scored two goals in the opening half, and
Izzi Wood put the match away with a second half goal, her sixth of the season. Wood's six goals rank eighth in the Sun Belt, while she also ranks third in shots (48) and tied for fourth in shots on goal (23). Fuller's two goal match moves her into second on the Mountaineers with six points on the season, joining freshman
Shannon Studer, who has tallied two goals and two assist this season.
Kerry Eagleston recorded six saves against the Ragin' Cajuns, and has now tallied a Sun Belt-best 87 saves on the year. Eagleston also ranks third in save percentage (.821), tied for third in shutouts (6), and sixth in goals against average (1.14).
ABOUT TEXAS STATE: The Bobcats (11-4-2, 5-3-1) have lost two straight, falling to South Alabama, 3-0, on Thursday and dropping Sunday's contest to Marshall by a 4-1 final. The seven goals allowed in those two matches equal the number that Texas State had allowed in their previous six matches combined. The Bobcats are led by Madi Gross, whose nine goals this season are tied for second in the conference. She has also added three assists to give her 21 points on the year. Zoe Junior has also registered double-digit points with four goals and two assists. Beth Agee has started each of the last two matches in net for Texas State, after Katelyn Chrisman started the first 15 matches of the season.
SERIES HISTORY: Thursday will be the ninth all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the Bobcats, with Texas State holding a 5-2-1 lead in the head-to-head matchup. Last season the Bobcats topped the Mountaineers 1-0 in the regular season in Boone. Then in the Sun Belt tournament, the Mountaineers defeated the Bobcats, 2-1, on goals from
Audrey Viso and
Breckyn Monteith, to advance to the second round.
BYE, BYE, BYE: After clinching a spot in the Sun Belt tournament on Sunday, the Mountaineers now have an opportunity to claim a top-six seed and a first-round bye next week in Foley. App State can clinch a bye with a win or a draw, or an Old Dominion loss or draw against Marshall. A win would earn the Mountaineers the fifth seed, while a draw would give them the sixth seed. Seeds 7 through 10 play in the opening round on October 31, while the top-six seeds take to the field for the first time in the quarterfinal round on November 2.
ELEVATING THE A: With one match remaining in the regular season, App State has won five conference games this season, a significant improvement from their two Sun Belt wins a season ago. The five conference wins are the most for App State since 2018 when they went 6-4 in Sun Belt play. App State has already improved by nine points over last year's finish, marking the biggest jump for any team in the Sun Belt this year. They also sit in sixth place in the conference standings, despite being ranked 13
th in the preseason poll, also marking the largest jump for any squad.
MIX 'N MATCH: App State has opened the match with a different starting lineup in all 17 contests this season. Goalkeeper
Kerry Eagleston and defender
Skyler Walk are the only players to start all 17 matches.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Through 17 games this season, eight different players have scored at least one goal for the Mountaineers.
INCREDIBLE IZZI: Junior forward
Izzi Wood scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season, Sunday against Louisiana. Wood now ranks eighth in the Sun Belt in goals, while ranking third in shots (48), and tied for third in shots on goal (23). Wood has now scored a goal in back-to-back matches for the first time this year. She also recorded her first career two-goal match Sept. 15 against Radford. Wood also scored twice in an exhibition match against UNC Asheville. She is playing for the first time since 2020 after missing last season due to injury.
YOU MAKE US FULLER: Junior midfielder
Katie Fuller came off the bench to score two goals in the win over Louisiana on Sunday. Both tallies were scored on headers, as she finished crosses from
Breckyn Monteith and
Stephanie Barbosa respectively. The two-goal game was the first of Fuller's career, and her six points on the season move her into a tie for second on the team. She also scored a goal on the road against Marshall, September 25.
WALK THIS WAY: Sophomore defender
Skyler Walk has been a huge catalyst for the Mountaineers this season, playing more minutes than any other player on the campaign. Walk has played 1,507 minutes this year, playing all 90 minutes in all but one contest. She has played at least 132 more minutes than any other field player on the squad. Walk scored her first career goal October 14 against Old Dominion, bouncing home a free kick from 45-yards out.
SUPER STUDER: Freshman
Shannon Studer netted the game-winning goal in each of the first two conference games for App State. Sept. 18 against ULM she scored the lone goal of the match, in the 64
th minute, with App State playing with just 10 players on the field. Then on Sept. 22 against Coastal Carolina, she answered a game-tying goal by the Chanticleers in the 81
st minute with a tally less than a minute later. Her two game-winning goals this season are tied for fifth most in the Sun Belt. Studer has also recorded a team-best two assists this season, helping on goals against UT Martin and College of Charleston. As a true freshman, Studer has started 16 of the first 17 matches this season, playing 1,375 minutes on the campaign, the second most by an App State field player. She has played 90 minutes in seven matches this season, and her six points this season also rank second on the team. Studer has played both on the backline and in the midfield this season.
THE MAGIC OF MONTEITH: Junior
Breckyn Monteith tallied an assist on
Katie Fuller's first goal of the game on Sunday, giving her an assist in back-to-back contests. Montieth has now recorded three assists on the season, and the Mountaineers are 3-0 in those matches. Monteith also scored a goal against Marshall, September 25
th, giving her five points on the season, which ranks fourth on the team. Monteith scored 10 goals a season ago, one shy of a program record.
IT BEGINS WITH BARBOSA: Sophomore
Stephanie Barbosa has been a major catalyst for the Mountaineers off the bench this season, playing at least 30 minutes in every contest. Barbosa tallied an assist on Sunday to give her four points on the campaign. She also scored her first career goal at The College of Charleston on September 11.
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Senior goalkeeper
Kerry Eagleston has been a mainstay between the pipes for the Mountaineers, playing and starting in 71 games across four seasons. Eagleston recorded six saves against Georgia Southern, Oct. 9
th to move her into third place in program history. Eagleston leads the Sun Belt in saves (87), while ranking third in save percentage (.821), and tied for third in shutouts (6), and sixth in goals against average (1.41).
Last season, Eagleston led the Sun Belt with 113 saves, while also ranking tied for second in shutouts (3), fifth in save percentage (.813), and tenth in goals against average (1.37). She recorded double-digit saves three times, including a career-high 20 saves against Wake Forest, the second-most in a match in program history.
THE KERRY COUNTER:
Career Shutouts:
1. 24, Breland Meany...................................................2001-2004
2. 21, Caroline Clarke................................................. 2007-2010
3. 18, Kerry Eagleston ..............................................2019-present
4. 14, Megan Roebrson ...............................................2012-2015
Season Shutouts
T1. 7 Breland Meany...........................................................2001
T1. 7 Breland Meany.......................................................... 2002
T1. 7 Breland Meany.......................................................... 2003
T1. 7 Caroline Clarke.......................................................... 2009
T5. 6 Kerry Eagleston………………………………..…..2022
T5. 6 Kerry Eagleston.....................................................2020-21
T5. 6 Emma White.............................................................. 2006
T5. 6 Caroline Clarke...........................................................2010
Career Saves:
1. 375 Kelley Guinn ..................................................... 1994-1996
2. 369 Breland Meany...................................................2001-2004
3. 346 Kerry Eagleston................................................2019-present
4. 319 Caroline Clarke.................................................. 2007-2010
HAYWOOD AT THE HELM: Aimee Haywood was announced as the fifth head coach in App State soccer history when she was hired in December. Haywood joins the Black and Gold following a two-year stint at Queens University where she helped the Royals to a 16-5-1 record last season on their way to the second round of the Division II NCAA tournament. Haywood went 23-7-2 in two seasons at Queens. Prior to that she spent four years leading her alma mater, Ohio Dominican, where she complied a 44-25-10 record. In 2017 she led the Panthers to a program-record 16-win season that culminated with their first Division II NCAA tournament win.
ROLLING IN THE DEEP: Team depth is an aspect that has been prominently on display for the Mountaineers this season. On a roster comprised of 33 players, 26 have seen playing time already this year. Of those, 19 different players have earned at least one start, including newcomers
Shannon Studer (16 starts),
Anna Kate Highsmith (10),
Katie Schumacher (14),
Gabby Tremonti (6),
Felicia Erkenfeldt (3),
Lela Stark (6),
Emilene Parham (1), and
Izzy Lusardi (1).
SCORELESS DRAWS: Following a 0-0 draw at George Mason on Aug. 28, the Mountaineers have posted three scoreless draws on the season, the most since 2010 when they recorded four on the year. They finished that season with five draws overall, the most in program history.
The Mountaineers opened the season with back-to-back scoreless draws, against Liberty and USC Upstate. Previously, the last scoreless draw involving App State came October 1, 2020 against The Citadel. The last time the Mountaineers posted scoreless draws in consecutive games was October 18 and 20 of 2013 when they did so against Wofford and Furman respectively. All scoreless draws prior to this season included overtime, which has since been eliminated from regular season contests.
UP NEXT: App State will embark on the Sun Belt Conference tournament, which kicks off on October 31 in Foley, Ala. If the Mountaineers finish as a top-six seed in the conference, they will advance to the quarterfinals, November 2. A finalized bracket will be released following the conclusion of play on Thursday. All tournament matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.
