BOONE, N.C. – After capping off an undefeated opening weekend with a 4-1 win against Georgetown, the App State Mountaineers (2-0) will return home to host the Drexel Dragons (1-1) in the team's first home game of the season on Friday at 7 p.m. The game can be streamed on
Twitch,
YouTube and our
Facebook page.
The Mountaineers are looking to start the season 3-0 for the second consecutive season. App State has started the season 3-0 just five times in program history. With a win on Friday, it would tie the mark for the second-best start in program history.
Five Mountaineers scored a goal over the weekend.
Charlotte Bosma,
Henriette Stegen and
Rachel Fleig netted their first goals of the season on Friday against Towson with
Sophia Baxter and
Florine Koopman both scoring two on Sunday. The team also had nine players tally a point in the two games in Maryland. Of those nine players, eight players recorded at least two points.
Freshman midfielder
Sophia Baxter was recognized as the MAC Offensive Player of the Week for her multi-goal performances on Sunday against the Hoyas. She scored her first career goal in the early stages of the second half of Sunday's contest before netting her second career goal just five minutes later. She fired three shots at the Hoya goalkeeper, tallying a 1.000 shot-on-goal percentage for the week.
Head coach
Emily Dinsmore has won her first two games as the Mountaineer head coach. She is the first head coach to accomplish this feat since Mandy Latz won her first two games as head coach in 2003.
"It's going to be really nice to have all our family and friends in Boone celebrating our first game on the new turf under the lights," head coach
Emily Dinsmore said. "The team is really excited to play on our home turf for the first time this season and it's going to be a special atmosphere for our first home game."
The Matchup
- Who: App State vs. Drexel
- Where: Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field // Boone, N.C.
- When: September 1 // 7 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers concluded their weekend in Towson, Md., with a 4-1 win over the Georgetown Hoyas. The Mountaineers never trailed in the contest.
Sophia Baxter and
Florine Koopman propelled App State to victory, with each tallying their first career goal and first career multi-goal game. Koopman scored her first career goal in the first quarter on Sunday before netting her second career goal in the third. Baxter slapped both of her goals past the Hoya defense within five minutes of each other in the third.
The four Mountaineer goals on Sunday are the most the team has scored since Oct. 23, 2022, when they scored 10 goals against Queens.
Scouting the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers capped off an undefeated weekend in Maryland, marking the second consecutive season the team has started 2-0. Head coach
Emily Dinsmore became the first App State head coach to start their career by winning their first two games since Mandy Latz did so in 2003.
App State was dominant in both wins last weekend. The team outscored their opponents 7-2 and outshot their opponents 26-25. App State's 2.50 scoring margin is the highest in the MAC through two games and the team currently paces the conference in goals per game with 3.5 after last weekend's action.
Five different Mountaineers scored a goal this past weekend. Additionally, nine Mountaineers recorded a point during the two-game road trip. Of those nine players, eight tallied multiple points with Koopman leading the charge with five.
Goalkeeper
Addie Clark had yet another stellar weekend between the posts. The Louisville, Ky., native played all 120 minutes saving nine shots and only allowing two goals. The fifth-year goalkeeper has not had a game allowing more than three goals since Sep. 4, 2021.
With a win on Sunday, the Mountaineers will tie the second-best start in program history and start the season 3-0 for the second consecutive season.
Scouting the Dragons
Drexel split their first two games of the season against Bucknell and La Salle. The Dragons won their season-opener 4-0 on Friday before falling to La Salle 1-2 on Sunday.
Five players recorded a goal over the weekend for Drexel. Sophomore forward Natali Foster leads the team with four points coming into Friday's match.
Drexel head coach Denise Zelenak is in her 29th season at the helm of the field hockey team. She has been the head coach since 1995 and has faced the Mountaineers twice in her coaching career.
Series History
App State and Drexel have met two previous times. The two teams squared off last season in Philadelphia in a close contest that was decided by a shootout. The Mountaineers have never beaten the Dragons.
12 players on the 2023 App State roster faced the Dragons in 2022.
Bridget Donovan and
Grace Ball each recorded a shot in last year's matchup, while
Addie Clark saved eight Drexel shots in the contest. Clark tallied 80 minutes in the cage, which was a season high.
Coach's Thoughts
"We had some really good moments this past weekend, especially in the third quarter on Sunday against Georgetown, so we want to continue to build upon those moments for this weekend to keep taking positive steps and generating more attacks against Drexel on Friday," head coach
Emily Dinsmore said.
Up Next
App State will stay in Boone to take on the Davidson Wildcats on Sunday in the Gold Out game. First touch from Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field is scheduled for 3 p.m. and can be streamed on
Twitch,
YouTube and our
Facebook page. Admission to Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field is free.
