BOONE, N.C. — To close out its three-game homestand, App State Field Hockey will host Bellarmine in the MAC opener on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a top-20 matchup to begin a three-game road stretch against No. 13-ranked Liberty on Sunday at 1 p.m. Friday's contest is designated as a Blackout, and the first 75 fans in attendance will receive an official App State Field Hockey pennant.
The Mountaineers (4-2) are coming off a loss against No. 6 Wake Forest on Sunday, suffering their first shutout of the season in the 6-0 decision.
Senior goalkeeper
Dakota Anderson picked up 21 saves in the loss and helped hold the Demon Deacons to one goal through the first half of play.
Wednesday's Matchup
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Who: App State vs. Bellarmine
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Where: Dr. Jan C. Watson Field at the Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field Hockey Complex // Boone, N.C.
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When: Friday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m.
Sunday's Matchup
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Who: App State at No. 13 Liberty
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Where: Liberty Field Hockey Field // Lynchburg, Va.
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When: Sunday, Sept. 20, 1 p.m.
Scouting the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers (4-2) have been stout defensively, outside of the game against Wake Forest, allowing only four goals in five games. Anchoring that defensive unit is Anderson in goal, who leads the MAC in save percentage (0.828). For her performances, she was named the MAC Goalkeeper of the Week during the first two weeks of the season, with the first honors coming in the first starts of her career.
On the offensive side, goal scoring has come from multiple contributors, led by freshman
Chloe Hook, who leads the team in goals scored with five on the season after scoring in four of the last five games.
Brynn Shaffer trails Hook with three total goals, scoring two in the second quarter against Queens.
Rylie Novak has also joined in on the goal scoring, securing her first collegiate goal against Queens in the 6-1 win.
The Mountaineers retain key returners from the 2025 squad, led by four-time 2025 Defensive Player of the Week
Sophia Baxter, along with fellow team captains
Kassie Paul and
Calista Schwartz—a Vancouver, Canada, native and member of the FIH Junior World Cup roster.
App State has added impactful transfers to its 2026 roster, highlighted by fellow Canadian National Team player and Vancouver native Novak, who transferred from Iowa. Junior
Madie Baker, who saw action at Liberty, joins the team along with Shaffer from Michigan State, who appeared in 15 games last season while tying for third in goals, assists, and points for the Spartans. Hailing from Santa Rosa, Argentina, is
Amparo Figueroa, a junior forward transfer from Converse University who earned 2025 First-Team All-SAC honors after leading her team in goals (12), points (30), shots on goal (47), and game-winning goals (3), while finishing second with six assists.
The Mountaineers have also added five freshmen to the roster, headlined by the sister duo of
Chloe Hook and
Morgan Hook, who both had illustrious careers at Penn Manor High School in Millersville, Pa. Joining them in the freshman class is fellow Pennsylvania native
Reagan Bailey from Dallastown Area High School, where she was named Offensive Player of the Year. The final two newcomers are
Jackie Kerner from Crofton, Md., where she won multiple Maryland state titles, and
Mai Hattori from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Scouting the Knights
Bellarmine enters the matchup 0-4, being shut out by two "Power Four" opponents in Stanford and Ohio State, while also falling in the season opener to an Old Dominion team ranked 15th in the nation. The Knights have scored only one goal so far this season, coming in a 2-1 shootout loss to UC Davis on Sept. 6. Bellarmine retains 16 players from last season's 2-16 (2-7 MAC) squad while adding nine newcomers to the team, with two players named to the NFHCA Division I Watchlist. The Knights are led by head coach Toby Platt, who is in his second year at the helm.
Scouting the Lady Flames
No. 13 Liberty enters Sunday's matchup 4-2, recently defeating MAC foe Longwood 8-0 on Sunday. Both of the Lady Flames' losses came against ranked opponents, falling to then-No. 15 UMass, 3-2, and No. 11 Virginia, 2-1. Liberty had six players named to the NFHCA Division I Watchlist, led by 2026 Big East Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Dara Semmartin and Big East Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year Diane Saint Martin, who both won those awards unanimously. The Lady Flames are led by head coach Nikki Parsley-Blocker, who is in her 10th season at the helm.
Series History
• vs. Bellarmine: This marks the seventh all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the Knights, who have played in each of the last five seasons, with App State leading 7-0 in the series. In the last matchup between the two programs last season, the Mountaineers took a 2-0 win on the road, with Baxter and
Lise Boekaar both scoring and Boekaar picking up an assist.
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vs. No. 13 Liberty: This marks the 10th all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the Lady Flames, who have played official matchups in each of the last two seasons, with App State trailing 1-8 in the series. In last year's matchup, the Mountaineers fell 7-1 at home, with
Hadley Kuzmicky scoring the lone goal for the Mountaineers against the sixth-ranked Lady Flames.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will remain on the road for the next two games, traveling to Ohio to resume MAC play against Ohio on Friday, Sept. 25, and Miami (Ohio) on Sunday, Sept. 27.
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