BOONE, N.C. — The App State field hockey team will host Kent State for Senior Day in the regular-season finale Friday.
Fans are encouraged to wear their costumes for a costume contest at halftime of the game. Candy and hot chocolate will also be available for fans during the game.
The Mountaineers (12-5, 6-2 MAC) are looking to get back into the win column after falling 3-0 to No. 6 Wake Forest last Sunday.
App State is still in the hunt for its third consecutive regular-season MAC championship, needing a win over Kent State and losses from No. 13 Miami (Ohio) and No. 15 UMass on Friday.
Friday's Matchup
- Who: App State vs. Kent State
- Where: Dr. Jan C. Watson Field at the Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field Hockey Complex // Boone, N.C.
- When: Friday, Oct. 31, 3 p.m.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Through 17 games, the Mountaineers are second in the MAC in assists per game (2.59), goals per game (3.29), points per game (9.18), scoring average (3.29) and penalty corners per game (7.35), while also ranking top 10 nationally in goals per game and scoring average.
Lise Boekaar has been on a tear this season, leading the MAC in assists (19), total points (43) and game-winning goals (5), while also tied for fourth in goals (12) with
Sophia Baxter. She is second in the nation in assists per game (1.27) and ninth in points per game (2.53). 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 (19), along with the most career assists in App State field hockey history, breaking the record with her 32nd career assist against Central Michigan on Oct. 10. She currently has 34 for her career, continuing to add to her total.
On the defensive end, Baxter has been a force, earning four Defensive Player of the Week awards this season, the most ever in one season by a player, most recently coming after performances against Ball State and No. 6 Wake Forest. Baxter is currently tied with Boekaar for the most goals scored, with 12 from the center back position.
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 Fréderique Grimbergen earned a spot on the All-MAC Freshman Team.
Scouting the Golden Flashes
Kent State (4-10, 3-5 MAC) enters the matchup after a 7-12 (5-3 MAC) season in 2024. Most recently, the Golden Flashes fell to James Madison at home 3-2 in overtime. Kent State is led by head coach Heather Hefner, who is in her second season at the helm of the program.
Series History
- vs. Kent State: This is the 16th all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the Golden Flashes, with App State trailing in the series 3-12. The Mountaineers have taken three of the last four matchups, with the sole loss coming in overtime in the 2023 MAC Tournament.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will gear up for the MAC Field Hockey Championship in Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Nov. 5 through Nov. 8.
App State is currently the three seed in the MAC tournament, holding a 6-2 conference record. With head-to-head matchups not a factor in determining tournament seeding, a win for App State on Friday over Kent State locks in the three seed with a 7-2 conference record. An App State loss and a win in regulation for James Madison would move them to the three seed, as they would hold a higher point total. If App State were to lose in overtime and James Madison won in overtime, both teams finish with a 6-3 record and 18 points, meaning it would go to goal differential for the next tiebreaker, where James Madison holds a value of +13, pushing the Dukes to the three seed.
