Soccer Aims for Tournament Berth in Matchup with Arkansas State

OPENING KICK: App State looks to secure a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as they travel to Jonesboro, Ark. to face Arkansas State, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
APP STATE LAST TIME OUT: Olivia Simon scored just over two minutes into the contest and the Mountaineer defense remained strong from start to finish, earning a 1-0 win over Southern Miss to cap off an undefeated home season. Kerry Eagleston recorded four saves en route to her 24^th career shutout, tying the program record. The clean sheet was also the Mountaineers' seventh of the season, matching the most in a single campaign. Izzi Wood assisted on Simon's goal, and registered three shots in the match, as did Simon and Summer Bowman. App State is now 7-5-3 this season, eclipsing their win total from a year ago, in addition to a 4-2-2 mark in Sun Belt play.
 
ABOUT ARKANSAS STATE: The Red Wolves are 4-6-4 on the season and 2-3-3 in Sun Belt play after falling 3-1 at Louisiana on Thursday. Darby Stotts and Aliyah Williamson lead the Red Wolves offense with three goals apiece, while 10 different players have scored at least one goal on the season. Olivia Luther has been the primary goalkeeper for Arkansas State, posting a .787 save percentage on the year. The Red Wolves are giving up nearly 17 shots-per-game to their opponents, and have been outscored 24-15 through 14 games this season.
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE: With a win or a draw against Arkansas State, the Mountaineers will punch their ticket to the Sun Belt tournament, which will be hosted Oct. 30 – Nov. 5 in Foley, Ala. The top 10 teams in the regular season will qualify for the tournament, with the top six teams earning a first-round bye. Currently there are seven teams in the middle of the pack separated by just six points entering the final two matches of the year. A win would also give the Mountaineers eight victories on the season, which would be their most since winning nine matches in 2018.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Sunday marks the ninth meeting between the Mountaineers and the Red Wolves, with Arkansas State leading the all-time series 4-2-2. The teams last faced off in 2021, when the Mountaineers suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in double-overtime. Aliyah Williamson scored the game-winning goal with three minutes remaining in the final overtime period. Kerry Eagleston made seven saves for the Mountaineers in the contest.
 
APP STATE BY THE NUMBERS:
1 – Olivia Simon is one of just 12 freshmen in the country to record a hat-trick this season with her three goals in the second half against Marshall on Oct. 8.
5 – The Mountaineers five second half goals against Marshall were the most in a match since 2019 when they defeated UNC Asheville 6-0, and were the most in a single half since 2013 against the Citadel. It also ties the most goals scored against a Sun Belt opponent, matching an Oct. 4, 2015 performance against Texas State.
6 – Olivia Simon became the sixth player in program history, and the first since 2014, to record a hat-trick, tying the App State single-game scoring record.
10 – App State extended its home unbeaten streak to a program-record ten consecutive matches with its 1-0 win over Southern Miss on Oct. 19
86 – App State ranks 86^th nationally in RPI, and have improved their standing in each of the rankings that has been released this year. The last time the Mountaineers finished a season in the top-100 in RPI was 2015 when they came in 60^th.
358 – Through eight home matches this season, App State is averaging 358 fans in attendance, the second-highest mark in the Sun Belt
 
SQUEAKY CLEAN: App State recorded their seventh clean sheet of the season in its 1-0 win over Southern Miss on Thursday. The seven shutouts in a single season matches a program record, also accomplished in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2009. Since their inaugural season in 1994, no Mountaineer squad has posted eight shutouts in a single campaign.
 
UNBEATEN AT HOME: App State capped an undefeated home season with a 1-0 victory over Southern Miss on Thursday. The Mountaineers close out the year 6-0-2 at The Valley, outscoring their opponents 14-2 in those matches. Dating back to last season, the Mountaineers have posted a 10-game home unbeaten streak, which is the longest in program history. The Mountaineers did not allow a goal for the first 383 minutes of play at home this year, and finished a season unbeaten at home for the first time since 2019.
 
UP NEXT: App State will conclude regular season play at Georgia State on Thursday night. The Mountaineers and Panthers enter the weekend with identical 4-2-2 conference records. Georgia State visit Old Dominion on Sunday, before returning home to face App State. Thursday's match is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.