App State to Face Texas State in Sun Belt Quarterfinals

OPENING KICK: Sixth-seeded App State opens Sun Belt Tournament play in Foley, Ala. against third-seeded Texas State at noon ET on Monday. All tournament games will be played at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
LAST TIME OUT: App State dropped its regular season finale at home against Old Dominion 3-1 on Thursday. Kyli Switalski scored her second goal of the season, heading home a rebound in the second half after Stephanie Barbosa hit the far post, cutting the deficit to 2-1 at that point. App State conceded a pair of controversial goals in the match. Texas State opened the scoring on a penalty kick in the 35th minute after a ball into the box bounced off the shoulder of Mumu Guisasola. The call was upheld after VAR. Old Dominion's final goal was scored in the 82nd minute after the Monarch goal scorer appeared to use her hand to settle a bouncing ball in the box before kicking it into the net. The goal was not reviewed.
 
ABOUT TEXAS STATE: The Bobcats enter the tournament as the West Division point leader with a record of 6-1-3 in conference play. The Bobcats capped regular season play with a dominant 3-0 win over Georgia Southern to clinch the three-seed in the tournament and eliminate the Eagles from postseason play. The Bobcats have outscored their opponents 35-20 this season and have posted three consecutive shutouts to cap the regular season. Mady Soumare leads the Bobcats attack with eight goals and four assists on the season, while Mya Ulloa, Kaylie Smith and Victoria Meza also have registered double-digit points this year. Caitlyn Draper and Katelyn Chrisman have split time in goal this season, with Chrisman finishing the year as the starter. She earned Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week Honors on Oct. 29. and has combined to record four shutouts in nine matches.
 
SERIES HISTORY: App State and Texas State will be facing off in their 11th meeting all-time and their second in nine days. Texas State edged the Mountaineers 1-0 in Boone on Oct. 27, Kaylie Smith scored the game's lone goal in the 80^th minute of play, just moments after Ellie Garrison hit the crossbar for App State. The Bobcats now hold a 7-2-1 lead in the all-time series. App State has won the only postseason meeting between the two programs, defeating the Bobcats 2-1 in the opening round of the 2021 Sun Belt tournament, marking the Mountaineers most recent win in Foley.
 
INCREDIBLE IZZI: Graduate student Izzi Wood was named first team All-Sun Belt after a sensational 2024 season. At the conclusion of the regular season, Wood leads the Sun Belt in shots (78) and shots on goal (40) and is tied for second in the Sun Belt in goals scored (11). She is also third in points (23) and tied for second in game-winning goals (3). Wood ranks 15th nationally in shots on goal-per-game and 27th in the country in goals scored. She is the only player in the Sun Belt Conference to enjoy three multi-goal games this season, registering braces against Radford, Coastal Carolina and Arkansas State.
 
Wood continued to etch her name into the App State record book this year, tying the program's single-season goals record with 11 tallies on the season. In four seasons on the field for the Mountaineers, Wood ranks third on the App State all-time scoring list with 26 goals in her career. She also ranks third all-time in shots with 221 and fifth in points with 58. Wood also ranks third in single-season program history for shots and tied for third in points. A native of Hickory, N.C., Wood has earned all-conference honors for the second consecutive season, after receiving a second team nod in 20223. She joins Jane Cline (2013-2016) as the only Mountaineers in the Sun Belt era to earn postseason honors in multiple seasons.
 
ENTER ELLIE: Midfielder Ellie Garrison was named a second team All-Sun Belt selection after an impressive freshman season. Following a storied career at Wheatmore High School that saw Garrison set the single-season (96) and career goals (230) in the state of North Carolina, she quickly acclimated to the college game. Garrison scored four goals and tallied five assists this season, totaling 13 points in her first collegiate season, the most points by an App State freshman in the Sun Belt era (2014-present). Garrison finished the regular season tied for seventh in the Sun Belt in assists.
 
Garrison tallied a two-goal game against Longwood on Aug. 29 for her first career goals and was subsequently named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week. She also added a multi-assist game against Radford on Sept. 5. A native of Trinity, N.C., Garrison finishes regular season play ranked second on the team in goals, assists, points, shots, shots on goal and game-winning goals. She started all 18 games in her first season in a Black & Gold uniform. Garrison becomes the first player in program history to earn All-Sun Belt honors as a freshman.
 
HISTORIC HONORS: With Izzi Wood and Ellie Garrison earning All-Conference awards, it marks the first time that App State Soccer has had a player earn first team honors since 2018, and the first time since 2015 that the program has had multiple players earn postseason all-conference recognition.
 
APP STATE AT THE SBC TOURNAMENT
App State will look to advance to the Sun Belt semifinals for the first time since 2016.
A win would mark their fifth victory at the conference tournament since joining
the Sun Belt in 2014.
 
Date                Opponent                               Score
Nov. 5, 2014    Georgia Southern                    L, 0-2
Nov. 4, 2015    Little Rock                               W, 2-1
Nov. 6, 2015    South Alabama                       T, 2-2 2OT (10-9 PKs)
Nov. 2, 2016    UL Lafayette                            W, 2-0
Nov. 4, 2016    South Alabama                       L, 0-6
Nov. 1, 2017    South Alabama                       L, 0-2
Oct. 31, 2018 South Alabama                       L, 0-3
Nov. 2, 2020    ULM                                        W, 2-1 (2OT)
Nov. 4, 2020    Arkansas State                        L, 1-0
Nov. 1, 2021    Texas State                              W, 2-1
Nov. 3, 2021    Georgia State                         L, 2-1 (OT)
Oct. 31, 2022 Marshall                                  L, 2-1 (OT)
Nov. 1, 2023    JMU                                         L, 2-1 (OT)
All-Time 8 appearances: 4-8-1 (.346)
 
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 22 assists on its 27 goals this season. App State ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in scoring and fifth in assists this season. The Mountaineers have seen 10 different players score this season and 11 players pick up at least one assist.
 
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 six assists, and now has 12 helpers in 74 games in her App State career. Barbosa has recorded five assists in her last 11 games and ranks tied for third in the Sun Belt in assists this season. Barbosa now ranks tied for sixth in program history for both single-season and career assists.
 
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 on Sept. 22, 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 85 career games and made 59 career starts for the Black and Gold.
 
KYLI KICKS IT INTO GEAR: Redshirt freshman Kyli Switalski has earned increased playing time down the stretch, earning starts in each of the final four regular season matches. Switalski scored her second goal of the season on Thursday against Old Dominion, heading home a rebound in the second half. Switalski has also registered three assists this year after sitting out 2023 while recovering from injury. She ranks third on the team in assists, tied for third in goals and fourth in points, playing in all 18 matches this season.
 
NEW IN NET: Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sarah Wommack has played every minute of every game for the Mountaineers this season, taking over from Kerry Eagleston who set the program's all-time saves record with 416, while making a program-best 91 starts across the last five seasons. Wommack has posted four shutouts this season while recording a 1.50 goals-against average and a .693 save percentage. She recorded a career-high nine saves against James Madison on Oct. 17. Wommack has recorded at least four saves in eight matches this season.
 
PROTECTING THE VALLEY: In Aimee Haywood's three seasons at the helm, the Mountaineers have been stout at home, compiling a record of 14-5-6 (.680), and outscoring their opponents 41-23 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
 
FIRST THINGS FIRST: In App State's 4-1 win over Troy on Sept. 24, 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.
 
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 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 1.50 goals-per-game which ranks fifth 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 22-21-12 in three years at App State, Haywood boasts the best winning percentage of any coach in program history.
 
UP NEXT: With a win, App State would advance to play the winner of second-seeded South Alabama and seventh-seeded Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt Semifinals. That match would take place on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET. All Sun Belt Tournament games are played at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex and broadcast on ESPN+.