BOONE, N.C. - App State returns to The Valley, Thursday, October 6, as they host the Georgia State Panthers at 6 p.m. The match is presented by Chick-fil-A, and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
ABOUT APP STATE: App State (3-5-4, 2-2-0) is coming off a 1-0 loss to JMU last Friday in Harrisonburg. The Dukes scored the lone goal of the match just four minutes in, and despite a flurry of chances in the closing minutes, the Mountaineers were unable to equalize. Still, their six points in conference play ranks second in the Sun Belt East Division standings. The Mountaineers are led on the season by
Izzi Wood who has scored four goals and tallied eight points to go along with a team-best 31 shots and 13 shots on goal.
Shannon Studer has tallied two goals and two assists, and ranks second on the squad with six points.
Kerry Eagleston has started every game in net for App State, posting a 1.29 goals against average and .786 save percentage, to go along with four shutouts.
ABOUT GEORGIA STATE: The Panthers (5-2-5, 1-1-2) trail the Mountaineers by just one point in the standings, following a 3-2 loss at home to Troy on Sunday. The Panthers lone conference win came against Coastal Carolina, while they have posted draws against South Alabama and Louisiana.
Elena Diaz leads the Panthers with four goals, while adding two assists, while her sister
Ana Diaz has scored a goal and added three assists.
Maddie Johnston has also scored four goals.
Jaddah Foos will start in goal for Georgia State. She has posted four shutouts this season and owns a 1.22 goals against average and a .745 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY: The Mountaineers and Panthers match up for their 13
th all-time meeting on Thursday. Georgia State leads the head-to-head series, 9-2-1, including a 1-0 loss in 2021 at Ted Mack as a result of an own goal in the 77
th minute.
HOME COOKING: The Mountaineers have been especially strong at home this season, posing all three of their wins, and two of their ties on their home turf. App State has scored eight of their 11 goals this season at The Valley. By comparison, App State went 4-5 at home in 2021. The Mountaineers have been helped by a lively crowd this season, with over 2,000 fans (336 per-game) attending matches at The Valley this year.
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 fourth 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 11 of the first 12 matches this season, playing 966 minutes on the campaign, the second most by an App State field player. Her six points this season also rank second on the team.
INCREDIBLE IZZI: Junior forward
Izzi Wood recorded her first career two-goal match Sept. 15 against Radford, tallying her team-best third and fourth goals of the season, in a 2-2 draw. Wood scored on a free kick from about 30 yards out in the 8
th minute of play to open the scoring, and then four minutes later, tapped in a rebound off a
Gabby Tremonti free kick. Wood ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in shots (31), tied for seventh in shots on goal (13), and tied for ninth in goals (4). She is the first Mountaineer to record a two-goal game since
Breckyn Monteith did so last year against Little Rock on October 24. 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.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Through 11 games this season, seven different players have scored at least one goal for the Mountaineers.
STRONG SUN BELT START: App State began conference play 2-0 this season following wins over ULM and Coastal Carolina. The start marks the Mountaineers best in conference play since 2018 when they opened the campaign with three straight wins, defeating Troy (2OT), Georgia Southern, and Coastal Carolina. The only other season in which App State has started with at least two wins in Sun Belt play was 2014, their first season in the conference, when they defeated Little Rock and Arkansas State to begin 2-0 as Sun Belt members. The two Sun Belt wins also equals the Mountaineers win total from conference play a year ago.
IT BEGINS WITH BARBOSA: Sophomore
Stephanie Barbosa has become increasingly involved in the offensive production for the Mountaineers over their last several matches, including earning her first start of the season, Friday at JMU. September 25 at Marshall, she picked up her first assist of the season, feeding
Breckyn Monteith on the game-tying goal. Barbosa also scored her first goal of her career earlier this month at The College of Charleston, when she headed home a cross from
Shannon Studer. Barbosa has played at least 30 minutes off the bench in every match this season. She has taken nine shots over her last six matches, with six being on target.
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 1,057 minutes this year, playing all 90 minutes in all but one contest. She has played at least 91 more minutes than any other field player on the squad.
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Senior goalkeeper
Kerry Eagleston has been a mainstay between the pipes for the Mountaineers, playing and starting in 66 games across four seasons. Eagleston leads the Sun Belt in saves (55), while second in save percentage (.778), and tied for third in shutouts (4).
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. 16, Kerry Eagleston ..............................................2019-present
4. 14, Megan Roebrson ...............................................2012-2015
Career Saves:
1. 375 Kelley Guinn ..................................................... 1994-1996
2. 369 Breland Meany...................................................2001-2004
3. 319 Caroline Clarke.................................................. 2007-2010
4. 314 Kerry Eagleston................................................2019-present
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, 25 have seen playing time already this year. Of those, 18 different players have earned at least one start, including newcomers
Shannon Studer (11 starts),
Anna Kate Highsmith (9),
Katie Schumacher (9),
Gabby Tremonti (5),
Felicia Erkenfeldt (2),
Lela Stark (2), and
Emilene Parham (1).
SCORELESS DRAWS: Following a 0-0 draw at George Mason, the Mountaineers have now 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 do battle with another Peach State school on Sunday, as they make their way to Statesboro for a matchup with the Georgia Southern Eagles. The match is set for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
