BOONE, NC – App State field hockey is set to open the 2022 season at home Friday. The Mountaineers will host Towson at 6 p.m. at Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field before their second home match on Sunday at noon against Georgetown.
The first 50 fans to arrive on Friday will receive a free App State field hockey T-shirt. If a fan cannot make it to the game, they can stream it for free on Twitch at twitch.tv/appstatesports. Live stats will also be available at https://goapp.st/appstvstowson.
Head coach Meghan Dawson is entering her eighth season at App State alongside sixth-year assistant head coach Emily Dinsmore and 1st-year assistant coach Azure Fernsler.
"Opening weekend is one the best times of the year for our program," Dawson said. "We are excited to officially start our season this Friday and Sunday at home. Our two scrimmages really challenged us as a group and pushed us to work out the details."
App State had two exhibitions to start the fall, visiting North Carolina on Aug. 14 and hosting Davidson on Aug. 21. In these scrimmages, the 2022 squad competed together for the first time, integrating its nine returning starters with eight newcomers.
This weekend will be the fourth time in five years that the Black & Gold open their season against the Tigers and the Hoyas.
"Playing two tough teams to start helps us train for the conference portion of our season," Dawson said. "I am excited to see our growth continue throughout the season while our players develop as a unit."
In those four years, App State has won all three contests against Towson. Since 2004, the Mountaineers and Tigers have split the all-time series 4-4, with Towson winning the first four and the Apps sweeping the latter.
THE 2022 MOUNTAINEERS
With a plethora of returners and a strong 2026 class, App State is looking to build on its fifth-place finish in the Mid-American Conference from last season and is projected to finish third in the preseason rankings.
Midfielders Friederike Stegen and Pauline Mangold each earned all-conference nods last season, which was the third straight nomination for Stegen. The German duo showed off their long-standing chemistry in preseason play when Stegen dished an assist to Mangold on a fake shot attempt against Davidson.
Goalkeeper Addie Clark enters her third season as a starter after earning third place in the conference with a save percentage of .719 in 2021.
The Mountaineers' schedule this season includes seven MAC games, two games against ranked opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference and nine total home games.
THE 2022 TIGERS
Towson, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, looks to improve on its 4-13 finish in 2021 behind sixth-year head coach E.A. Jackson.
The Tigers bring back their leading goal-scorer Georgia Beachley alongside Samantha Aljets, who paced the team in points in 2019 and the spring of 2021 before missing the fall season due to injury.
Towson is set to play three total games against MAC opponents, with later games against Longwood and Ohio.
NEXT UP
After this home-opening weekend, App State will go on the road next weekend with a visit to Rider on Friday at 7 p.m. and then Drexel on Sunday at noon. Live stats will be available for both games and Drexel's contest will be streamed live on FloLive.tv.
