Mountaineers Clash with Coastal in Conway

OPENING KICK: App State hits the road for the first time in conference play, as they square off with Coastal Carolina Wednesday at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
APP STATE LAST TIME OUT: App State opened conference play with a 1-0 victory over Troy in Boone on Sunday. Four minutes into the second half the Mountaineers broke the scoreless tie, as Shannon Studer curled in a corner kick and Izzi Wood leapt in the air and headed it into the back of the net to break the scoreless tie. The App State defense allowed just five shots and one shot on goal on the afternoon, posting their fifth shutout of the season. App State has won four of their first eight matches on the season.
 
ABOUT COASTAL CAROLINA: The Chanticleers are 3-5 to begin the season, after dropping their conference opener to Old Dominion on Friday. The Monarchs scored the lone goal of the match in the 69^th minute of play. All three Coastal wins have come at home this season – including victories over UNCW, College of Charleston, and Stetson. Emily Petring leads the Chanticleers offensively with three goals and one assist on the season. Vivienne Carr has started all eight matches in goal, posting three shutouts and a .772 save percentage on the campaign. Coastal went 2-6-2 in conference play last season and was picked to finish 10^th in the Sun Belt preseason poll this year.
 
SERIES HISTORY: App State and Coastal will square off for the 15^th time in program history on Thursday. The Chanticleers lead the all-time series 5-7-2, but the Mountaineers claimed last year's meeting, 2-1, in Boone in a match decided in thrilling fashion. With App State leading 1-0 late in the second half, Coastal scored a goal in the 81^st minute to tie the score. Off the ensuing kickoff, the Mountaineers broke through the Coastal defense, with Shannon Studer netting the go-ahead goal just 15 seconds later to give the Mountaineers the win.
 
1-0: App State has started 1-0 in conference play in back-to-back seasons. Last year the Mountaineers topped ULM, 1-0, despite playing with only 10 players for much of the second half. This year the Mountaineers topped Troy by an identical 1-0 margin.
 
THOU SHALL NOT PASS: With five shutouts in eight matches this season, App State's defense is tied for 20^th in the nation with a shutout percentage of .625. Individually, Kerry Eagleston's five shutouts rank tied for 12^th nationally.
 
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Fifth year goalkeeper Kerry Eagleston has been a mainstay between the pipes for the Mountaineers, playing and starting in 81 games across five seasons. Eagleston recorded her 375^th career save on Sunday in the win over Troy, tying her for the all-time program record in saves. She also collected her 22^nd career shutout in the process, moving her into 2^nd place on the all-time list for clean sheets. Last season she led the Sun Belt in saves (93), while ranking third in save percentage (.809), fifth in shutouts (6), and seventh in goals against average (1.166).
 
THE KERRY COUNTER:
Career Shutouts:
1. 24, Breland Meany...................................................2001-2004
2. 22, Kerry Eagleston ..............................................2019-present
3. 21, Caroline Clarke................................................. 2007-2010
4. 14, Megan Roebrson ...............................................2012-2015
 
Career Saves:
T1. 375 Kerry Eagleston...............................................2019-present
T1. 375 Kelley Guinn ..................................................... 1994-1996
3. 369 Breland Meany...................................................2001-2004
4. 319 Caroline Clarke.................................................. 2007-2010
 
INCREDIBLE IZZI: After leading the Mountaineers with six goals in 2022, Izzi Wood is off to another hot start this season, scoring four goals in the team's first eight games of the year. Wood has tested opposing goalkeepers early and often this season, leading the Sun Belt with 35 shots, while ranking tied for third with 15 shots on target. Wood averages 4.38 shots-per-game, which ranks 14^th nationally. Her four goals are tied for fifth in the conference, while three game-winning goals are tied for the conference lead and rank 12^th nationally.

UP NEXT: App State will return home on Sunday to host James Madison in a Sun Belt showdown at 3 p.m. The Dukes opened conference play with a 2-0 win over Arkansas State last Friday, and they will host Marshall on Thursday night. Sunday's match will be broadcast on ESPN+.