BOONE, N.C. — The App State Field Hockey team travels to Ohio to resume conference play, first facing the Ohio Bobcats on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by a ranked matchup against No. 16 Miami (Ohio) on Sunday at noon.
The Mountaineers (5-3) are coming off a 7-2 loss against No. 13 Liberty on Sunday, despite scoring the opening goal early in the contest.
Darby Reyburn returned to the scoring column in the match, netting her first goal since Nov. 11, 2024, after battling back from an early-career injury.
Friday's Matchup
• Who: App State vs. Ohio
• Where: Pruitt Field // Athens, Ohio
• When: Friday, Sept. 25, 3 p.m.
Sunday's Matchup
• Who: App State at No. 16 Miami (Ohio)
• Where: Miami Field Hockey Complex // Oxford, Ohio
• When: Sunday, Sept. 27, noon
Scouting the Mountaineers
The Mountaineers (5-3, 1-0 MAC) have been stout defensively outside of contests against top-13 teams, allowing only four goals through those six games while posting three shutouts, most recently against Bellarmine in the MAC opener. Anchoring that defensive unit is Anderson in goal, who leads the MAC in save percentage (0.776). 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. The Mountaineers also rank second in the MAC and 15th nationally in shutouts per game (0.38).
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.
Brynn Shaffer trails Hook with three total goals, scoring two in the second quarter against Queens.
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 Bobcats
Ohio enters the matchup 2-4 (0-1 MAC) after falling to No. 6 UMass on Friday. Ohio's two wins came over Saint Louis and common opponent Queens, defeating the Royals 3-2, the same team the Mountaineers defeated 6-1 on Sept. 9. Ohio retains a majority of players from last season's 5-13 (3-6 MAC) squad, losing four graduating seniors and adding two freshmen. The Bobcats are led by head coach Ali Johnston, who is in her ninth year at the helm.
Scouting the Redhawks
No. 16 Miami (Ohio) enters Sunday's matchup 4-3 (1-0 MAC) after defeating No. 13 Liberty 5-4 in overtime on Saturday, lifting the team into the top 20 nationally. Despite three losses, Miami (Ohio) has played against the top two teams in the country, falling 2-0 to No. 1 Northwestern and 2-1 to No. 2 Iowa. Picked to win the MAC in the Preseason Coaches Poll, the Redhawks return 19 players from last season's 16-5 (8-1 MAC) MAC Tournament-champion team while adding 10 newcomers to the 2026 roster. Miami (Ohio) is led by head coach Iñako Puzo, who is in his 16th year leading the program.
Series History
• vs. Ohio: This marks the 22nd all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the Bobcats, who have played in each of the last eight seasons, with App State leading 11-10 in the series. The Mountaineers have not lost to the Bobcats since 2019, winning the last nine matchups. The last matchup between the two programs came in the 2025 MAC Field Hockey Championship, where the Mountaineers defeated Ohio 3-1 for head coach
Emily Dinsmore's first postseason win.
• vs. No. 16 Miami (Ohio): This marks the 27th all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the Redhawks, who have played in each of the last nine active seasons, with App State trailing 4-22 in the series. In last year's matchup, the Mountaineers fell 7-0 at home, with the Redhawks scoring five of those goals in the second half.
Up Next
The Mountaineers will make a quick stop back in Boone to take on Ball State on Oct. 2 at 3 p.m. before returning to the road in the Northeast against Vermont and No. 4 UMass.
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