Mountaineers Tangle with Jaguars on the Pitch

OPENING KICK: App State Soccer looks for its first win of Sun Belt play on Friday when the team welcomes South Alabama to Boone for a 4 p.m. kickoff. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS: App State is 4-5-1 on the season and 0-1-1 in Sun Belt play after a 1-0 loss to Louisiana on Sunday. After winning its first three games of the season the Mountaineers now look to break out of a rut, having gone 1-5-1 over the past seven games. Offensively App State is paced by four goals from Ellie Garrison and three from Kyli Switalski. Izzi Wood scored a pair of goals in a win over Longwood, giving her 28 career goals (just two behind the Casey Cleary for the most all-time). The defense is anchored by freshman Maddie Williams who has started each of the first ten games for the Mountaineers. Fellow freshmen Morgan Chapman and Lucy Harrington have also earned starting roles on defense. App State has posted back-to-back winning seasons in Sun Belt play and seven-plus win seasons overall.
 
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS: South Alabama enters the contest 7-2-0 on the season and 3-0-0 in Sun Belt play – the only team in the conference without a loss or a draw this season. The Jaguars defeated Southern Miss 4-0 on Sunday and have outscored their opponents 11-1 in league play and 24-8 overall this season. Redshirt sophomore Andrea Iljkic leads the Jaguars with five goals this season, while adding a pair of assists. 13 different players have registered a point this season. The team has played three different goalkeepers this season, with Sierra Giorgio earning the start against the Golden Eagles on Sunday. South Alabama has won at least 10 games in six consecutive campaigns, including four NCAA tournament appearances during that span. They were picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt preseason poll.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Friday will mark the 15th all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and Jaguars. Most recently the teams met in Mobile, Ala. in 2023, a 3-1 win for the Jaguars, who overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit. The teams are meeting in Boone for the first time since 2021. The Jaguars lead the head-to-head series 12-1-1, with the Mountaineers lone win coming in 2016.

A FRESH(MEN) START: 11 of App State's 27 players this season are freshmen or redshirt freshmen (9 more are sophomores or redshirt sophomores) with many earning prominent roles early on in their careers in Boone.
 
UP NEXT: App State will return to action next Thursday when the team travels to face Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. in Conway, S.C. on ESPN+. The Chanticleers are 0-1-2 in Sun Belt play and host ULM on Friday.