BOONE, N.C. - App State continues their three-match homestand by opening conference play against ULM, Sunday at 11 a.m. at Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex. It's Alumni Day, and all former Mountaineer soccer players are invited to The Valley for a pregame breakfast and will be recognized at halftime. It's also National Cheeseburger Day, and all App State students will get free cheeseburgers, while supplies last. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
ABOUT APP STATE: App State (1-3-4) is coming off a 2-2 draw against Radford on Thursday to close out non-conference play.
Izzi Wood tallied a pair of goals in the opening 15 minutes of play, including the game's first goal on a free kick from 30 yards out. Radford drew even in the second half with a penalty shot goal in the 53rd minute, and then scored on a header ten minutes later. Wood leads the team with four goals and 22 shots, and 8 shots on goal.
Breckyn Monteith has registered 13 shots with six being on-target.
Kerry Eagleston has been an anchor in net for App State this season, posting three shutouts, to go along with a 1.38 goals against average and a .776 save percentage.
ABOUT ULM: The Warhawks (8-0-1) won six in a row, closing out an undefeated conference slate with a 5-1 win over Prarie View A&M on Thursday. The Warhawks, who finished last season just 8-12 (4-6) has begun the 2022 campaign by outscoring their opponents 27-7, while assisting on 20 of their 27 tallies. Inge Konst and Ashley Washburn have each scored five goals and tallied an assist this season to lead the team with 11 points. Alexa Castro Vivas has started each of the last two games in goal for ULM, allowing one goal, while posting three saves.
SERIES HISTORY: The Mountaineers and Warhawks have met eight times in program history, with the Mountaineers holding a 6-1-1 advantage in the series. The Warhawks lone win in head-to-head play came last season, when they topped App State, 2-1, in Monroe.
Breckyn Monteith opened the scoring with a goal in the 24th minute, on assists from
Sarah Widderich and
Olivia Cohen. ULM responded with a pair of goals before halftime, one from Theoni Zerva in the 27th minute, and the game-winner from Courtney Marten in the 38th minute of play.
INCREDIBLE IZZI: Izzi Wood recorded her first career two-goal game on Thursday, tallying her team-best third and fourth goals of the season, in a 2-2 draw with Radford. 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 lead the team in goals (4), shots (22), and shots on goal (8). 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.
BARBOSA FINDS TWINE: Sophomore
Stephanie Barbosa read a one-hop cross, lept in the air to meet it, and headed it into the back of the net, Sunday, at the College of Charleston. The goal was the first of her career. Barbosa has played at least 40 minutes off the bench in every game this season. In her last three outings she has taken three shots, all of which have been on target.
SUPER STUDER: An early enrollee last spring, freshman
Shannon Studer has made an instant impact for the Mountaineers along the back line. Studer has started seven of the team's first eight games this season, and ranks third among field players in minutes played (617). She has assisted on two of the team's first six goals this season, accounting for the team's only two assists.
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Senior goalkeeper
Kerry Eagleston has been a mainstay between the pipes for the Mountaineers, playing and starting in 62 games across four seasons. Eagleston leads the Sun Belt in saves (38), while ranking tied for second in shutouts (3), and fifth in save percentage (.776). 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. 15, 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. 297 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 early on 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 (7 starts),
Anna Kate Highsmith (5),
Katie Schumacher (5),
Gabby Tremonti (4),
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.
SPRING HAS SPRUNG: The Mountaineers impressed in the spring season posting wins over UNCG, Radford, and High Point. Their lone loss in the spring came to South Carolina, which had made it to the elite eight in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Five different players combined to score seven goals in the spring slate.
UP NEXT: App State closes out their three-match homestand by facing Coastal Carolina at 6 p.m. on Thursday for our Pack the Mack game. Fans 8
th grade and younger can participate in a penalty kick shootout on the field following the game.
