BOONE, N.C. - App State returns to action Sunday, as the team travels to Clemson, S.C. for a matchup with the Tigers. The content will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
ABOUT APP STATE: App State (1-0-3) is coming off its third scoreless draw of the season Sunday at George Mason. Senior goalkeeper
Kerry Eagleston made four saves, en route to her third shutout of the season and 15
th of her career, moving her into third place all-time.
Breckyn Monteith led the offense with four shots, including one on target. App State also posted scoreless draws against Liberty and USC Upstate to begin the season, before collecting its first win against UT Martin on August 25. Sophomore transfer
Anna Kate Highsmith, and junior
Izzi Wood each scored for the Mountaineers in
Aimee Haywood's first win as head coach.
ABOUT CLEMSON: The Tigers (2-1-2) played rival South Carolina to a 2-2 draw Thursday in Columbia. Maria Manousos scored less than three minutes in to give Clemson a 1-0 lead, and in the 65
th minute Sydney Minarik regained the lead at 2-1, but the Tigers conceded an 81
st minute goal and were forced to settle for one point. Clemson doubled up South Carolina 10-5 in shots on goal. Clemson opened last week ranked 18
th in the nation, prior to falling to Alabama, 3-0. The Tigers have also posted wins over Campbell and Western Carolina and a draw against Texas A&M.
SERIES HISTORY: Sunday marks the fourth all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the Tigers. Clemson leads the series 3-0. The most recent meeting came back in 2012 when the two teams matched up in the season-opener, and Clemson came away with a 1-0 victory.
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.
UNDEFEATED START: For the first time since 2007 the Mountaineers are undefeated through their first four matches of the season. That year they began 5-0-2 with wins over Tennessee Tech, UNC Asheville, Charleston Southern, Longwood, and VMI and draws against Winthrop and UNC Wilmington.
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.
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Senior goalkeeper
Kerry Eagleston has been a mainstay between the pipes for the Mountaineers, playing and starting in 58 games across four seasons. Eagleston ranks second in the Sun Belt with 12 saves, and has allowed just one goal, the fewest among goalkeepers who have played three matches or more. Last season, Eagleston led the Sun Belt with 113 saves (5.95 saves-per-game), 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. 271 Kerry Eagleston................................................2019-pres.
IZZI RETURNS: After missing the 2021 season due to injury, junior
Izzi Wood wasted no time making an impact in 2022. In the Mountaineers first scrimmage against UNC Asheville, Wood tallied two goals, one in the 42
nd minute and one in the 76
th minute to propel the Mountaineers to a 4-0 win. Wood then followed that up with her first regular season goal on August 25 against UT Martin, when she forced a turnover and fired it past the Skyhawks goalkeeper. She leads the team with nine shots through four games.
NEW FACES: The Mountaineers 2022 roster features 14 newcomers in addition to 19 returners (8 returning starters). Winthrop transfer
Anna Kate Highsmith scored the Mountaineers first goal of the season on an assist from freshman
Shannon Studer. Nine newcomers have earned playing time in the first four games of the season with Highsmith, Studer,
Lela Stark,
Gabby Tremonti,
Lela Stark, and
Katie Schumacher earning at least one start.
DOMINANT D: App State set the tone defensively to begin the season, allowing one goal or fewer in all four contests. If you add in two exhibition matches, App State has allowed just two goals in six games this season.
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 will be back at home Thursday as they face ETSU at Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex, with first touch slated for 7 p.m. It's Pediatric Cancer Awareness game, and the team will be sporting gold laces in support of the cause.
