BOONE, N.C. — The No. 17 App State field hockey team hosts both the Miami RedHawks on Friday, followed by a top-20 matchup against the No. 6 Liberty Flames.
There will be a joint, selfie scavenger hunt with App State Field Hockey and App State Cross Country during Friday's contests, where four people can win a piece of team-issued apparel. For Sunday's game against Liberty, there will be a hat giveaway where the first 50 fans in attendance will take home an App State Field Hockey hat.
The Mountaineers (8-1, 3-0) are coming off a walk-off, overtime win over No. 18 James Madison, pushing the Mountaineers to their first ever national ranking.
Sophia Baxter,
Lise Boekaar,
Frederique Grimbergen,
Hadley Kuzmicky and
Kassie Paul all found the back of the cage in the matchup, with Boekaar's goal coming in overtime to seal the win.
Friday's Matchup
- Who: No. 17 App State vs. Miami (Ohio)
- Where: Dr. Jan C. Watson Field at the Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field Hockey Complex // Boone, N.C.
- When: Friday, Oct. 3, 3 p.m.
Sunday's Matchup
- Who: No. 17 App State vs. No. 6 Liberty
- Where: Dr. Jan C. Watson Field at the Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field Hockey Complex // Boone, N.C.
- When: Sunday, Oct. 5, noon
Scouting the Mountaineers
Through their first seven games, the 17th-ranked Mountaineers lead the conference in goals (42) and scoring average (4.667), while also second in assists (32) and shots (165). Nationally, the Mountaineers also lead in goals per game (4.67), points per game (12.89) and scoring average (4.65), while also ranked fourth in penalty corners per game (8.56) and scoring margin (2.66). App State is fifth in the nation in assists (3.56) and seventh in the nation in win percentage (.889).
Boekaar has been on a tear this season, leading the MAC in assists (16) and total points (36) while also tied for second in goals (10). She leads the nation in assists per game (1.78) and second in points per game (4.0). Her performance during the opening weekend earned her the MAC Offensive Player of the Week honor after she was responsible for the team's first 10 goals of the season.
Boekaar currently holds the App State record for the most assists in a single season (16), and one more assist will give her the most in App State Field Hockey history.
On the defensive end, Baxter has been a force, earning the MAC Defensive Player of the Week honor for her play against Davidson. She earned her second Defensive Player of the Week after games against Bellarmine and No. 18 James Madison for her second in-season award of the season. Baxter currently has eight goals and two assists on the season, with two game-winners.
The 2025 team features three players who earned All-MAC selections in 2024. Midfielder Boekaar was named to the All-MAC First Team and the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) South Region First Team.
Henriette Stegen was named to the All-MAC Second Team, while
Frederique Grimbergen earned a spot on the All-MAC Freshman Team.
Six Mountaineers are on the 2025 NFHCA Division I Watch List: returning players Baxter, Boekaar, Grimbergen and Stegen, and newcomers
Kate Richardson and
Calista Schwartz. Baxter represented the Mountaineers at the Senior Nexus Championship last summer.
Scouting the RedHawks
Miami (Ohio) (6-3, 2-1 MAC) enters the matchup after a 14-8 (7-1 MAC), MAC Tournament winning season in 2024. Most recently, the RedHawks fell to MAC opponent No. 11 UMass, 3-1. The RedHawks are led by head coach Iñako Puzo, who is in his 15th year at the helm of the program.
Scouting the Flames
No. 6 Liberty (7-1, 2-0 Big East) enters the matchup after a 10-8 (4-3 Big East) season in 2024. In their last game, the Flames took down William & Mary 4-0 on the road in Williamsburg, Va. Liberty is led by head coach Nikki Parsley-Blocker, who is in her ninth year leading the program.
Series History
vs. Miami (Ohio): This is the 27th all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the RedHawks, with App State trailing in the series 4-22.
vs. Liberty: This is the 10th official meeting between the Mountaineers and the Flames, with Liberty leading the series 8-1.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will hit the road for Michigan, taking on MAC opponent Central Michigan on Oct. 10 at 1 p.m., followed by a matchup against Michigan State on Oct. 12 at noon.
