App State Travels to James Madison for Regular Season Finale

The App State field hockey team takes on James Madison on Sunday. The Mountaineers (10-7, 6-1 MAC) are looking to stay in the win column, previously defeating Queens last Friday.  Sunday's matchup against the Dukes (13-4, 7-0 MAC) is pivotal for the Mountaineers, as a win in regulation on Sunday gives App State a share of the MAC regular season title, along with a first round bye in the MAC Tournament.
 
The Matchup

• Who: App State vs James Madison
• Where: JMU Field Hockey Complex // Harrisonburg, Va.
• When: Nov. 3 // 1 p.m.

 
Last Time Out
The Mountaineers defeated Queens last Friday to a score of 5-0.  Darby Reyburn, Henriette Stegen, Florine Koopman, Franziska Heyltjes and Baylie Phillips all found the back of the cage in Friday's matchup, with Phillips scoring the first goal of her collegiate career. The Mountaineer defense held the Royals to a single shot on goal for the game, showing similarities to the 2-0 shotless win against Longwood on Oct. 25.
 
Scouting the Mountaineers  
The Mountaineer offense has been relentless this season, as they are third in the MAC in goals scored with 36. The Mountaineers are first in the MAC in shots and are tied for first in penalty corners, putting pressure on defenses in the attack zone. Senior Charlotte Bosma is fourth in the MAC in both shots and shots on goal going into tomorrow's matchup.
 
15 different Mountaineers have found the back of the cage this season and 12 Mountaineers have scored two or more goals on the season, led by Henriette Stegen who has an App State-high five goals so far on the season.
 
App State's defense has been stellar as well, not allowing many shots to be attempted. The Mountaineers have allowed 97 shots on goal through 17 games, 77 less than the 174 the Mountaineers have earned. Per game, the Mountaineers only allow 8.5 shots a game, a sharp contrast to the 17.8 for the Mountaineers. Senior goalkeeper Claire Grenis has anchored the Mountaineer defense, keeping opponents to 1.53 goals a game as a result. In their five-game winning streak, Grenis allowed only three goals past her while shutting out three opponents. The Mountaineers tallied their seventh shutout of the season last Friday against Queens, a MAC high.
 
Mountaineers have taken home MAC Player of the Week honors five times in four weeks of play. Grenis and Bosma have each won the award twice, sweeping both week one and week four, while Florine Koopman received Player of the Week in week three for her two-goal performance against Davidson.
 
  
Scouting the Dukes
JMU enters Sunday's matchup coming off a 5-12 season in 2023. This is the inaugural season for the Dukes in the MAC, and they are currently 13-4 and undefeated in the MAC with seven wins. The Dukes are led by head coach Christy Morgan, who is in her 19^th season at the helm of the program.  
 
Series History
This is the 20^th meeting between the Mountaineers and Dukes in program history, with the Mountaineers trailing the series 4-15-1. App State has recently played James Madison in 2023 and 2021, where the Mountaineers came out on top both times. The Mountaineers win in 2021 was App State's first ranked win in program history.
 
Up Next
After Sunday's matchup against James Madison, the Mountaineers will travel to Oxford, Ohio to play in the MAC Tournament.