HARRISONBURG, Va. – The App State Mountaineers (3-1) will look to continue their hot start to the season as they kick off a three-game road trip in Harrisonburg, Va., where they will take on future MAC foe James Madison (2-2) on Friday. First touch from the JMU Field Hockey Complex is set for 5 p.m.
The Mountaineers capped off its home-opening weekend with a 1-0 win over Davidson on Sunday. Junior
Jillian Orcutt scored the game's lone goal late in the fourth quarter to propel App State to its first home win of the season and first win on the new turf at Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field.
The Black & Gold have won 13 of its last 15 games dating back to last season. The last time the Mountaineers had a stretch like this came in 1968-69 where the team won 14 of 15.
"We are very excited for the opportunity to play against a competitive team like James Madison," head coach
Emily Dinsmore said. "Every time we play against them it has been a battle, and we are prepared for it to be the same thing on Friday."
The Matchup
- Who: App State at James Madison
- Where: JMU Field Hockey Complex // Harrisonburg, Va.
- When: September 8 // 5 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers notched their first home win of the season on Sunday, beating the Davidson Wildcats 1-0.
Jillian Orcutt played hero in the win, slapping her first career goal past the Wildcat keeper late in the fourth quarter to give App State a lead they would never look back from.
App State played stellar defense in the win against Davidson and posted their first shutout of the season. The Mountaineer defense has allowed just five goals in four games this season and has held their opposition scoreless in five halves.
With the win against Davidson, App State has now won six of seven against their in-state foes.
Scouting the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers come into this matchup with James Madison having won 13 of their last 15 games dating back to last season. App State has also won five straight regular season road games heading into this road matchup with the Dukes.
Head coach
Emily Dinsmore won her first two games as head coach of the field hockey program. She became the first head coach to accomplish that feat since Mandy Latz won her first two games in 2003.
The Mountaineer defense has been stellar all season long, allowing the second-fewest goals in the MAC Conference. The Black & Gold posted their first shutout of the season in the win over Davidson and have held their opponent scoreless in five of eight halves this season.
App State currently sits atop the MAC Conference in multiple offensive categories, including goals scored (8), assists (11), points (27) and are tied with Miami in scoring margin (0.75).
Jillian Orcutt's goal against Davidson on Sunday was the first of her career. She is the third Mountaineer this season to accomplish that milestone, joining
Sophia Baxter and
Florine Koopman.
10 different Mountaineers have recorded a point this season, with nine of those players having scored at least two points. Additionally, six different Mountaineers have scored at least one goal.
Scouting the Dukes
James Madison has started the season 2-2 and lost in their last match to the No. 12 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 1-0. The Dukes trot out a young squad, carrying 14 underclassmen on the roster.
Senior forward Mia Julian leads the Duke charge on offense, having tallied two goals and three assists on the young season. Goalkeeper Brandelynn Heinbaugh currently has 25 saves on the season, which is good for the eighth-most in the nation.
Series History
The last time these two teams squared off was in 2021 at Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field, which saw the Mountaineers shut out the No. 24 James Madison Dukes for the program's first ranked win. This is the 20th matchup between the Dukes and the Mountaineers with JMU leading the all-time series 3-15-1.
Fifth-year goalkeeper
Addie Clark saved eight shots while allowing zero goals against JMU in 2021. It was the second-most saves Clark recorded in a game in 2021.
Eight Mountaineers saw game action against JMU in 2021.
Sarah Farrell,
Jillian Orcutt,
Rachel Fleig,
Grace Ball,
Addie Clark and
Leah Hurwitz each played over 30 minutes in the contest and helped lead App State to its first ranked win in program history.
Coach's Thoughts
"JMU is a solid team," coach Dinsmore said. "So, for us, we'll need to piece together a game plan that will utilize the strengths that we have as a team that will play against what JMU's strengths are. In order to beat them, we're going to have to execute our game plan."
Up Next
App State will head to Winston-Salem, N.C., after Friday's contest to square off against the No. 17 Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Sunday in the team's first ranked matchup of the season. First touch from Kentner Stadium is set for noon and can be streamed on the ACC Network Extra.
