BOONE, N.C. – Returning home from an undefeated four-game road trip, the App State Mountaineers (12-4, 5-1 MAC) will put their seven-game winning streak to the test against MAC rival Ohio on Friday at Dr. Jan C. Watson Field at the Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field Hockey Complex. First touch is slated for 3 p.m. and can be streamed on
Twitch,
YouTube and our
Facebook page.
Friday's contest marks the first time App State will play at home since Oct. 6, when the Black & Gold defeated the Kent State Golden Flashes in shootout fashion. App State is 2-2 in their first four games on their home turf this season.
App State comes into Friday's contest riding a MAC-high seven-game winning streak and are playing some of its best hockey of the season when it matters most. The Mountaineers are outscoring their opponents 19-4 and have posted three shutouts during the streak.
Fifth-year goalkeeper
Addie Clark was named both the MAC Defensive Player of the Week and the NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention after shutting out Ball State on Friday and saving 12 shots against No. 8 Louisville on Sunday. Clark and the Mountaineers enjoyed a phenomenal four-game road trip on the defensive side, allowing just one goal in those four games.
Head coach
Emily Dinsmore needs just one more win to break Mountaineer legend Jan Watson's record for most wins in a season by an App State first-year head coach. Collectively, the Mountaineers need one more conference win to post the most conference wins in a season as a MAC member.
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. Ohio
- Where: Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field // Boone, N.C.
- When: October 27 // 3 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers beat the No. 8 Louisville Cardinals at Louisville in their last game, giving them their highest ranked win in program history, their first win over a top-10 opponent and first win against an ACC opponent since 1999.
Leah Hurwitz scored App State's lone regulation goal, taking a nice feed by
Rachel Fleig and
Kassie Paul and slapping the ball past the Louisville keeper in the second quarter. Hurwitz's score was her first of the season.
App State's defense was stellar in Sunday's win, holding Louisville scoreless on 15 corner attempts in the contest and stopping 10 Louisville shot attempts between the two overtime periods alone.
Grace Ball played an exceptional game on defense, as she made several stops on multiple Louisville shot attempts on penalty corners.
In the shootout period, Clark outdueled the ACC leader in goals-against average, saving three of Louisville's five attempts, while
Sophia Baxter,
Grace Ball and
Florine Koopman calmly scored three goals to claim victory. It was App State's second consecutive shootout win.
Scouting the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers come into Friday's game with Ohio riding a seven-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 19-4 over those seven games. The Mountaineers have not trailed in a game since the 32nd minute of their game against Central Michigan on Sep. 29, marking 428 consecutive minutes without trailing in a game.
Coach Dinsmore has stressed to her team to start strong in the first 15 minutes, which has led to first-quarter success for her squad. The Mountaineers have drawn first blood in each of their last six games and are outscoring their last seven opponents 8-1 in the first quarter.
Defense continues to be the key to the Mountaineers' success this season as they are allowing less than a goal per game in their 12 wins, compared to four goals per game in their four losses. App State allowed just one goal during its undefeated four-game road trip, so look for the defense to play a major role on Friday.
The Mountaineers boast a well-balanced offensive attack as an impressive 13 players have found the back of the cage this season. Through the team's first 16 games, 16 players have tallied at least one point, with 10 of those players scoring five or more points. Forward
Charlotte Bosma leads the Mountaineer offensive attack with five goals and 14 points, which are both career highs.
Scouting the Bobcats
The Bobcats were one of three teams to clinch a spot in the 2023 MAC Tournament last Friday, joining Miami and App State as teams to clinch a MAC postseason berth on Oct. 20. Ohio holds the third spot in the current standings with a 4-2 conference record.
Ohio is led by fifth-year standout Katelyn Whittle who leads the MAC in goals, assists and points and is coming off a game against Bellarmine last Friday where she scored five goals, dished out two assists and recorded 12 points.
Defensively, the Bobcats are anchored by Macy Lotze, who has started all 13 games this season. Lotze has allowed 32 goals in 13 games this season and boasts a 2.43 goals-against average.
Series History
The Mountaineers and Bobcats have squared off 17 previous times, with Ohio holding a slight edge in the series, 7-10. The Mountaineers have won each of the previous five battles with the Bobcats, but it has been a close matchup historically as each of the past eight games have been decided by two goals or less.
Rachel Fleig and
Sarah Farrell are the only two active players to score goals against the Bobcats in their careers. Farrell notched the game-winning goal in last year's contest at Pruitt Field, while Fleig tallied a multi-goal game against Ohio in her freshman season.
Coach's Thoughts
"We are looking forward to finishing conference play strong against Ohio on Friday," Dinsmore said. We love playing in front of our family and friends and we are excited for another opportunity to compete against a good team."
Up Next
The Mountaineers will cap off their regular season schedule at home on Sunday against the Saint Louis Billikens. Sunday will also mark App State's senior day, where the Mountaineers will honor their two seniors before the game. First touch is slated for 11:30 a.m. and can be streamed on
Twitch,
YouTube and our
Facebook page.
