App State Soccer Visits Clemson, Sunday

OPENING KICK: Following a week off, App State Soccer is back in action on Sunday as the team travels to Clemson to face the Tigers, looking for its second ACC win of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
 
ABOUT APP STATE: App State is 3-1 on the season, following its first setback of the year, a 2-0 loss at William and Mary last Sunday. Prior to that, the team started the season 3-0, matching the 1999 team for the best start in program history. During that stretch, the Mountaineers posted wins over two-time reigning conference champion Western Carolina, the program's first ACC win over Miami, and handing Davidson its first loss of the season. Ellie Garrison has led the team with four goals through the first four games, including a brace in the season opener against the Catamounts. Kyli Switalski has added a pair of goals, highlighted by an olimpico goal on Aug. 21 against Davidson, where she curled the ball into the net off a corner kick. Defensively, App State has notched two shutouts this season and two of its four goals allowed have come off opponent penalty kicks.
 
ABOUT CLEMSON: The Tigers enter the matchup with a 1-1-2 record following a scoreless draw against No. 12 South Carolina on Thursday. That result followed a 4-0 loss to 15th-ranked Virginia Tech, and a win over Ohio and a draw against Ohio State. Juju Harris leads the Tigers' attack with a goal and an assist this season, while Neely Kerr has added a pair of helpers. Goalkeeper Addy Holgorsen has played every minute of every match in net and is tied for third in the ACC with two shutouts, while defender Mackenzie Duff has also yet to come off the field this year. The Tigers went 6-8-3 overall and 2-7-1 in ACC play last season. They were picked ninth out of 17 teams in the league in 2025.
 
SERIES HISTORY: App State and Clemson are meeting for the fifth time in program history. The Tigers lead the series 4-0-0, most recently winning 3-0 over the Mountaineers in 2022.
 
LET'S PARTY LIKE IT'S 1999: App State's 3-0 start matched its best start in program history, joining the 1999 team as the only other team to accomplish that feat. App State's win over Miami marked the program's second power conference win and first against an ACC opponent.
 
ELITE ELLIE: Sophomore attacker Ellie Garrison was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 19, following three goals – including two game-winners – in the opening week of play. Garrison added to that total with a fourth minute goal on Aug. 21 against Davidson in which she went between the legs of the Wildcats goalkeeper. Garrison leads the Sun Belt and ranks tied for second in the nation with three game-winning goals this season. She is tied for second in the league in goals (4), tied for third in points (8), tied for sixth in shots on goal (8) and tied for seventh in overall shots (11). Garrison scored a penalty kick goal in the first half and a game-winner with 1:09 to play in regulation in a 3-2 win over Western Carolina on Aug. 14 for her second career brace. Aug. 17 against Miami, Garrison scored the game's lone goal on a penalty kick with 11 minutes to play.
 
A second team All-Sun Belt selection as a true freshman in 2024, Garrison enters her sophomore season on her way towards another breakout campaign. The Trinity, N.C. native played and started all 19 games in her first season in Boone, registering four goals and five assists. Her combined 13 points were the most by an App State freshman in the Sun Belt era. Garrison was named an All-Southeast Region selection following the season and was ranked as the 49th-best freshman in the country by Top Drawer Soccer. Garrison has already garnered significant attention this season, earning Preseason All-Sun Belt honors, being named a national Midfielder to Watch by United Soccer Coaches and being selected to the Top Drawer Soccer Women's Team of the Week for the first week of the season.
 
INCREDIBLE IZZI: Graduate student Izzi Wood returns for her final season of eligibility in 2025 and leads the team with two assists through three games this season. The sixth-year standout has played 74 matches across four seasons, while missing the 2021 campaign due to injury. Wood is coming off a career-high 11 goals in 2024, which matched the single-season program record. She enters the 2025 campaign with 26 career tallies, five away from setting the App State career goals record, currently held by Casey Cleary (2005-08). Last season Wood led the Sun Belt in shots (80) and shots on goal (41) while ranking third in the conference in goals scored (11) and in points (23). She also finished the season tied for third in the league in game-winning goals (3). Wood has been named All-Sun Belt and All-Southeast Region each of the past two seasons and was picked to the Sun Belt preseason all-conference team this season for the second straight year. Wood's assist against Davidson on Thursday gave her 60 career points which moved her into fourth place all-time. She also ranks second all-time with 230 shots.
 
KICKIN' IT WITH KYLI: Redshirt sophomore Kyli Switalski has scored two goals through the first four games of the season, equaling her career high. The High Point, N.C. native scored the team's first goal of the season, in the 10th minute at Western Carolina. She then scored an incredible "olímpico" goal where she bent a corner kick into the back of the net against Davidson on Aug. 21. Switalski scored two goals and added three assists last season after sitting out her true freshman year while recovering from injury.
 
SQUEEKY CLEAN: Redshirt freshman Anna Claire Jacobi recorded back-to-back shutouts in wins over Miami and Davidson to tie her for the conference lead. Jacobi also ranks tied for the league-lead in saves (17), is fifth in save percentage (.810) and tied for sixth in goals-against average (1.00). In four seasons under head coach Aimee Haywood, App State has recorded 20 shutouts, highlighted by eight in 2023.
 
HAYWOOD AT THE HELM: In her fourth season, head coach Aimee Haywood has posted the best winning percentage of any coach in program history. Despite being picked to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the 2022 preseason poll, Haywood guided her team to a seventh-place finish in her first season. In 2023, despite being picked to finish eighth, the Mountaineers finished in third place, their best conference finish in program history. Haywood has helped the Mountaineers to back-to-back winning seasons in Sun Belt play for the first time since 2014-15. Haywood helped the Mountaineers to a scoreless draw at NC State last season and recorded the program's first power conference victory since 2016 with their win over Miami on Aug. 17.
 
PROTECTING THE VALLEY: In Aimee Haywood's three seasons at the helm, the Mountaineers have been stout at home, compiling a record of 16-5-6 (.704), and outscoring their opponents 44-23 at The Valley over that span. The Mountaineers posted a program-best 13-match unbeaten streak from Oct. 14, 2022, through Aug. 29, 2024.
 
FINDING TWINE: The App State offense has increased its scoring output in each of the past two seasons, scoring 27 goals (1.42 goals per game) in 2024, their best output since scoring 31 goals (1.55 goals per game) in 2016. App State returns each of its top five goal scorers (Izzi Wood, Ellie Garrison, Kyli Switalski, Shannon Studer and Olivia Simon) from a season ago. So far in 2025 the Mountaineers are averaging 1.5 goals per game.
 
FRESH FACES: App State has added 10 newcomers (all freshmen) into the fold in 2025. Four of those players are international, coming from England, Scotland and Sweden. Maddie Williams (Birmingham, England) was an early enrollee and participated in spring competition and has played all but two minutes through the first four matches of the season. Freshmen Lucy Harrington (Miami) and Morgan Chapman (William & Mary) have also earned starts for App State. Redshirt freshman Anna Claire Jacobi has posted two shutouts in her first four career starts in net. Of the 17 returners, nine saw at least one start in 2024.
 
UP NEXT: App State will return to action on Thursday, Sept. 4 when the team hosts ECU for Senior Day at The Valley. First touch has been moved up to 4 p.m. and the pregame ceremony will take place at approximately 3:30 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.