App State Tangles with Texas State on Alumni Day

OPENING KICK: After securing a spot in the Sun Belt tournament with a 4-1 win over Troy on Thursday, the Mountaineers return home on Sunday where they face Sun Belt West leader Texas State at noon. It's alumni day in Boone, and former players will be honored on the field at halftime. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT: App State used an offensive barrage to pull away from Troy in a 4-1 win on the road. Stephanie Barbosa netted the game-winning goal just minutes into the second half, and Izzi Wood followed with her 11th goal of the season two minutes later. Barbosa tallied three points in the match, as did Sarah Widderich, who opened the scoring by heading in a corner kick. App State capped the scoring in the 90th minute when Walker Bristow recorded her first career goal. App State tallied 20 shots and a season-high 12 shots on target.
 
ABOUT TEXAS STATE: The Bobcats enter as the leaders of the Sun Belt West Division, holding a record of 4-1-3 in conference play, an identical mark to the Mountaineers. The Bobcats battled to a scoreless draw with South Alabama on Thursday night. It marked Texas State's second scoreless draw of the season, with the other notably coming against No. 13 Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Sept. 5. The Bobcats have outscored their opponents 31-20 this season, highlighted by a six-goal effort in a win over Marshall. Mady Soumare leads the Bobcats attack with six goals and three assists on the season, while Mya Ulloa and Victoria Meza also have registered double-digit points. Caitlyn Draper and Katelyn Chrisman have split time in goal this season, with Chrisman drawing the start on Thursday against the Jaguars.
 
SERIES HISTORY: App State and Texas State will be meeting for the 10^th time on Sunday, with the Bobcats holding a 6-2-1 lead in the all-time series. Most recently, the Bobcats won 1-0 in Boone in 2022, scoring the lone goal with just under seven minutes to play, putting home a rebound after a penalty kick save by Kerry Eagleston. It marked the last loss in Boone before the 13 match home unbeaten streak that came to an end this season.
 
INCREDIBLE IZZI: Graduate student Izzi Wood has scored 10 goals in her last 11 games and has tied the App State single-season record with 11 goals on the year, including braces against Radford, Coastal Carolina and Arkansas State. Wood sits in third place on the App State scoring list with 26 goals in her career. She also ranks third all-time in shots with 216 and fifth in points with 58. Wood leads the Sun Belt in shots (73) and shots on goal (38) and is tied for the Sun Belt lead in goals with 11. She also second in points (23) and tied for second in game-winning goals (3). Wood ranks 10th nationally in shots on goal-per-game and 14th in the country in goals scored. 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 16 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.
 
FIRST THINGS FIRST: In App State's 4-1 win over Troy on Thursday, the Mountaineers saw three players score their first goal of the season. Sarah Widderich opened the scoring in the 12th minute of play and notched her first career three-point game. Stephanie Barbosa also enjoyed a three-point effort, scoring the game-winning goal in the 49th minute – her first of the year, before assisting on Izzi Wood's goal two minutes later. In the 90th minute of play, freshman Walker Bristow scored her first collegiate goal on an assist from Widderich. App State has seen ten different players score goals this season, including four players who have scored their first career goal.
 
ROAD WARRIORS: App State closed out play on the road this season going 4-3-2 away from Boone. The 2024 Mountaineers have won the most road games since the 2016 squad went 5-5 on the road. It also marks the first time since 2012 that App State has finished with a winning record on the road. Play on the road was capped by a 4-1 win at Troy, marking the most goals scored in a road game since 2013 against The Citadel.
 
A HELPING HAND: App State has registered 21 assists on its 26 goals this season, with nine different players collecting at least one helper. App State ranks fourth in the Sun Belt in scoring and fourth in assists this season.
 
SET UP BY STEPH: Senior midfielder Stephanie Barbosa has been a key creator in the Mountaineers' attack this season. Barbosa has set a career high with five assists, and now has 11 helpers in 72 games in her App State career. Barbosa has recorded four assists in her last nine games and the Mountaineers have lost just once during 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 83 career games and made 57 career starts for the Black and Gold.
 
PROTECTING THE VALLEY: In Aimee Haywood's three seasons at the helm, the Mountaineers have been stout at home, compiling a record of 14-3-6 (.850), and outscoring their opponents 40-19 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.
 
NOTEWORTHY:
•          App State has secured back-to-back seasons of 7+ wins for the first time since 2015-2016
•          The team has also clinched back-to-back winning seasons in Sun Belt play for the first time since 2014-2015, its first years in the conference
 
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 1.63 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 2013 when the team averaged 1.79 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 22-19-12 in three years at App State, Haywood boasts the best winning percentage of any coach in program history.
 
UP NEXT: App State will close out the regular season with a Halloween Night showdown against Old Dominion, Thursday at 7 p.m. App State and ODU are tied for second in the East Division with identical 4-1-3 records in Sun Belt play. The Monarchs will take on Arkansas State in Jonesboro on Sunday. Thursday's contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.