FOLEY, Ala. – Following a record-breaking regular season, the App State soccer team came through with some more late-game magic to force overtime Wednesday, but fell 2-1 in extra time to the James Madison Dukes on a chilly night at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex.
In a fast-paced game that saw both teams generate many quality scoring chances,
Stephanie Barbosa provided the dramatics for the Mountaineers (9-6-3), ripping a volley past the JMU keeper with 2:24 to play in regulation, to force overtime and keep the Mountaineers season alive.
Just over seven minutes into the extra period, the Dukes regained the lead as Jeanette Fieldsend pounced on a loose ball in the box and put away the eventual game-winner for her second goal of the night.
"This one game, this loss, this is finite, head coach
Aimee Haywood told her team after the match. "But the legacy that you've left on this program – that's infinite."
Picked to finish eighth in the Sun Belt preseason poll, the Mountaineers posted their best conference winning percentage in program history, culminating with a program-best third place regular season finish. Along the way the Mountaineers posted their most wins since 2018 helped by a program-record eight shutouts.
Fifth-year goalkeeper
Kerry Eagleston finished her career with a season-high nine saves against the Dukes, extending her program-record to 416 saves in her Mountaineer career. She also owns the program's shutout record with 25.
App State put six of their eight shots on target, led by Barbosa who had three shots and
Summer Bowman who had a pair.
Eagleston along with Barbosa, Bowman,
Shannon Studer,
Mumu Guisasola,
Katie Fuller, and
Skyler Walk played all 110 minutes in the match.
