Mountaineers Face Red Wolves in Rescheduled Contest

OPENING KICK: After having their originally scheduled matchup postponed due to Hurricane Helene, App State and Arkansas State meet up in Boone on Sunday at 12 p.m. at The Valley. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT: In a battle of the final two unbeaten teams in the East Division, App State fell on the road to James Madison, 3-0, snapping a six-game unbeaten streak. The setback marked the first loss for the Mountaineers since Sept. 8, and the first time being shut out by an opponent since Sept. 1 at No. 13 Auburn. Sarah Wommack recorded a career-high nine saves against the Dukes, facing 27 shots on the night, while App State was held to just one shot on the night. With four games remaining in the regular season, App State sits in a tie for sixth place in the Sun Belt standings with nine points (5-4-5, 2-1-3), with eight of the 14 teams in the conference making the conference tournament Nov. 4-9.
 
ABOUT ARKANSAS STATE: Winless in Sun Belt play this season, Arkansas State is coming off back-to-back draws at home to Southern Miss and Louisiana. The Red Wolves have not won a match since Sept. 8 against Western Kentucky. The team opened the year 2-0-1 with clean sheets in all three contests, and overall, this season has both scored and allowed 11 goals in 12 matches. The Red Wolves are led offensively by Keelyn Peacock who has scored four goals on the year and leads the team in shots. Junior Damaris Deschaine started the first 11 matches in goal, but sophomore Taylor Sweat got the nod on Thursday against Louisiana in a scoreless draw. Tenth-year head coach Brian Dooley has mixed his lineups throughout the season, with only three Red Wolves have started every match this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Mountaineers and Red Wolves are facing off for the tenth time in program history, with Arkansas State leading the all-time series 4-3-2. App State most recently topped the Red Wolves 2-1 in Jonesboro last season, as part of a three-game winning streak to round out the regular season. After App State surrendered a penalty kick goal to level the score at 1-1 in the 81st minute, Izzi Wood responded with a game-winning score in the 83rd minute of play.
 
INCREDIBLE IZZI: Graduate student Izzi Wood has scored seven goals in her last nine games, including braces against Radford and Coastal Carolina. Wood sits in fifth place on the App State scoring list with 23 goals in her career. She also ranks fourth all-time in shots with 202 and seventh in points with 52. Wood leads the Sun Belt in shots (59) and shots on goal (31) and is tied for third in the conference with eight goals. She also tied for fifth in points (17). Wood ranks 13th nationally in shots on goal-per-game and 40th in the country in goals-per-game. The Hickory, N.C. native was named a preseason All-Conference selection after earning second team All-Conference honors last season – becoming the first Mountaineer to collect postseason Sun Belt honors since 2018. She was also named second team All-Region in 2023.
 
ENTER ELLIE: Freshman attacker Ellie Garrison has needed little time to adjust to the college game. The 2023 North Carolina Golden Boot award winner set state records for career goals (230) and single-season goals (96) during her career at Wheatmore High School. Garrison has scored four goals and tallied five assists this season, tolling 13 points in her first 14 collegiate games, the most points by an App State freshman in the Sun Belt era (2014-present). Garrison is tied for third in the Sun Belt in assists.
 
PROTECTING THE VALLEY: In Aimee Haywood's three seasons at the helm, the Mountaineers have been stout at home, compiling a record of 13-3-6 (.727), and outscoring their opponents 38-18 at The Valley over that span. The Mountaineers posted a program-best 13-match unbeaten streak dating back to 2022, prior to their home loss to Radford on Sept. 5.
 
A HELPING HAND: App State has registered 19 assists on its 20 goals this season, with nine different players collecting at least one helper. App State ranks sixth in the Sun Belt in scoring and fifth in assists this season.
 
SET UP BY STEPH: Senior midfielder Stephanie Barbosa has been a key creator in the Mountaineers' attack this season. Just past the midway point of the campaign, Barbosa has already set a career high with four assists, and now has 10 helpers in 70 games in her App State career. Barbosa has recorded three assists in her last six games and the Mountaineers are unbeaten over that stretch.
 
MAGIC OF MUMU: Graduate student Mumu Guisasola notched her first career goal, heading in a corner kick against Marshall to help the Mountaineers to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 13. Guisasola also recorded an assist against Georgia Southern, giving her a career-high three points on the campaign. Guisasola has played every minute of every game this season, bringing her experience and leadership to a young defensive unit this season. Guisasola has played in 81 career games and made 55 career starts for the Black and Gold.
 
ROLLER COASTER RIDE: App State has endured an up-and-down season through its first 14 games of play. The Mountaineers were unbeaten in August, going 2-0-2, including a draw with ACC foe NC State. The Mountaineers then dropped three straight games to open the month of September but rebounded to go on a six-game unbeaten streak (3-0-3), the program's longest since 2012. However, with a loss at JMU coming on the heels of three straight draws, App State has not won a match since Sept. 26 at Louisiana.
 
FRESH FACES: App State has seen nine freshmen or redshirt freshmen play in their first collegiate matches this season including five who have earned at least one start. Most notably, freshman Ellie Garrison ranks second on the team in points, while pacing the Black and Gold with five assists. Redshirt freshman Sarah Wommack has played every minute in goal this season. In total, the Mountaineers have played 22 players this season.
 
FINDING THE NET: The App State offense has seen an uptick in production this season, averaging 1.54 goals-per-game which ranks fourth in the Sun Belt. App State has not finished a season with a mark higher than its current pace since 2016 when the team averaged 1.55 goals-per-game.
 
WINNING WAYS: Since her hire in Dec. 2021, Aimee Haywood has quickly elevated the Mountaineers' program. After the team won just two conference matches in 2021 prior to her arrival, Haywood guided the team to a 5-5 mark in league play in 2022, despite being picked 13th in the Sun Belt preseason poll. Last year, the team finished third in the Sun Belt, winning four of their final five regular season games, and going unbeaten at home. Haywood led the Mountaineers to a 2-0-2 start through the team's first four games of the season, marking its best start since 2007. With a record of 20-19-12 in three years at App State, Haywood boasts the best winning percentage of any coach in program history.
 
UP NEXT: App State will hit the road for the final time this season as the team heads to Alabama for a Thursday showdown with Troy. The Trojans are 0-5-1 in Sun Belt play and take on Southern Miss on Sunday.