LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Following a 1-1 weekend that featured the first overtime win of the season, the App State Mountaineers (4-2) will open MAC league play on Friday with a road battle against the Bellarmine Knights (2-4). First touch is scheduled for 3 p.m. and can be streamed on the
BU Sports Network.
The Mountaineers finished third in the MAC last season, posting a 5-2 record. It was the best conference record for the Mountaineers since joining the MAC in 2017 and was the highest placement for the Black & Gold as a member of the league.
App State has won 14 of its last 17 games dating back to Oct. 2, 2022, which is good for a 0.824 winning percentage. It's the best 17-game stretch for the Mountaineers since 1974-75, when the team also posted a 0.824 winning percentage over a 17-game stretch.
A balanced attack of both defense and offense has paced the Mountaineers to their best start since 2019. The Black & Gold currently lead the MAC in goals scored (10), assists (12) and points (32), while also allowing the second-fewest goals in the conference (9) and posting the most shutouts (1).
"Our big mission this year is to be competitive in the MAC and make it back to the conference championship," head coach
Emily Dinsmore said. "That mission starts this Friday against Bellarmine."
The Matchup
- Who: App State at Bellarmine
- Where: Trager Stadium // Louisville, Ky.
- When: September 15 // 3 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers fell to the No. 17 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 3-0 last Sunday.
Junior goalkeeper
Claire Grenis notched a career day between the posts, saving six Demon Deacon shots. The defense was strong all game on Sunday, applying pressure on the Wake Forest offense, but would come up just short in the team's first ranked contest of the season.
Scouting the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers come into this matchup with Bellarmine having won 14 of their last 17 games dating back to last season, which is good for a 0.824 winning percentage. The last time App State had a 17-game stretch this good was in 1974-75, when the Black & Gold also won 14 of 17 games.
App State is 2-1 on the road this season and have won six of its last seven road games. The Mountaineers have scored nine goals in four games away from Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field, which is good for an average of 2.25 goals per road game.
Head coach
Emily Dinsmore has led her squad to the program's best six-game start since 2019 when the team started the season undefeated through the first six games. Dinsmore is the first Mountaineer coach to win four of their first six games as head coach since Mandy Latz did so in her first season in 2003.
Defense has been the story of the Black & Gold's season so far. App State leads the MAC in shutouts (1) and has allowed just nine goals in six games to start the season, which is the second-fewest in the MAC. The Mountaineers have also held their opposition scoreless in 18 of the 25 periods played this season.
With
Kassie Paul's goal and
Leah Hurwitz's assists last Friday against James Madison, 12 different Mountaineers have tallied a point this season. Of those 12 players, 10 have recorded multiple points and seven players have found the back of the cage.
Charlotte Bosma and
Florine Koopman lead the charge offensively with six points each.
Scouting the Knights
Bellarmine is 2-4 on the season and are coming off a 3-2 win over the Davidson Wildcats last Sunday. The win over Davidson snapped a four-game losing streak for the Knights.
The Knights are led by freshman forward Paige Hoyer, who has netted four goals and recorded 9 points for the Knights this season. The Louisville, Ky., native scored two of the three Bellarmine goals in Sunday's win over Davidson.
Series History
App State and Bellarmine have squared off just four previous times, with each matchup coming since Bellarmine joined the MAC as an affiliate member for field hockey in 2021. App State won last year's matchup 3-2 in a double overtime affair at Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field. The Mountaineers have never lost to Bellarmine.
This will be just the second time the Mountaineers will travel to Bellarmine in the series history. The last time App State played the Knights on the road was in 2021, which resulted in a 4-2 win for App State.
Fifth-year forward
Sarah Farrell has scored three goals against the Knights in her career, including two in last year's matchup. Forward
Charlotte Bosma was the hero against the Knights in 2022, netting the game-winning goal in double overtime to secure App State's first of two overtime wins in 2022.
Coach's Thoughts
"Seeing the way the team has been united this season to achieve our goals has been crucial to our success so far," coach Dinsmore said. "When we are all together and pressuring as a team, good things happen. We want to continue that mentality and set the tempo of each game as we head into conference play on Friday."
Up Next
App State will have six days off to prepare for their next matchup against the Miami RedHawks at Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field on Friday, Sept. 22, in what will be a rematch of the MAC Championship game from last season. First touch is scheduled for noon and can be streamed on
Twitch,
YouTube and our
Facebook page.
