BOONE, N.C. – The Mountaineers look to snap a two-game losing skid as they travel to South Carolina for the second time in as many weekends, to battle the College of Charleston, Sunday at 1 p.m. The match will be broadcast on Flo FC.
ABOUT APP STATE: App State (1-2-3) is coming off a 3-1 loss to ETSU on Thursday, in a game in which they outshot the Buccaneers 18-9 (8-6 on goal), and out-possessed them by four percent. Junior Izzi Wood scored the lone goal for the Mountaineers on a penalty kick in the 53rd minute, after senior Emma McGibany was taken down in the box. The PK tied the game at 1-1, but App State conceded goals in the 78th and 80th minutes. Wood leads the team in goals (2), and shots (14) this season. Brecky’s Monteithwho led the team with 10 goals a season ago, has placed five shots on net this year, including three against ETSU. Goalkeeper Kerry Eagleston has already posted three shutouts this season, and holds a 1.17 goal-against-average and a .800 save percentage.
ABOUT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: The Cougars (5-2-0) have won three straight matches, following a 2-0 win over Charleston Southern on Wednesday. Olivia Freitas scored her third goal of the season just 66 seconds into the contest, and Grace Powell added her fifth goal of the campaign in the 77th minute. All seven of the Cougars games this season have been decided by at least two goals, highlighted by a pair of 3-0 wins against Alabama A&M and Coastal Carolina, as well as a 7-0 thumping of South Carolina State. They have also lost to Mercer and Georgia, 4-1 and 4-0 respectively. Powell’s five goals are tied for 13th nationally this season. The Cougars have deployed a two-goalkeeper approach so far this season, with Savannah Barron (4 starts) and Katie Carrino (3 starts) both playing in six matches.
SERIES HISTORY: The Mountaineers and Cougars have met 19 times in program history, with the College of Charleston holding a 11-4-4 advantage all-time. The two teams most recently squared off last season in Boone, with the Cougars securing a 2-0 win, handing App State their first loss of the year.
IZZI RETURNS: After missing the 2021 season due to injury, junior Izzi Wood has wasted no time making an impact in 2022. Last time out against ETSU, Wood calmly buried a penalty kick in the 53rd minute to tie the match at 1-1. In the Mountaineers first win of the season, against UT Martin on August 25, Wood tallied the game-winning goal against UT Martin, intercepting a pass deep in Skyhawk territory. Wood also recorded a two-goal game in a scrimmage against UNC Asheville. She leads the team with two goals and 14 shots through six games this season.
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Senior goalkeeper Kerry Eagleston has been a mainstay between the pipes for the Mountaineers, playing and starting in 60 games across four seasons. Eagleston is tied atop the Sun Belt in saves (28), while ranking tied for second in shutouts (3), and fifth in save percentage (.800). Last season, Eagleston led the Sun Belt with 113 saves, while also ranking tied for second in shutouts (3), fifth in save percentage (.813), and tenth in goals against average (1.37). She recorded double-digit saves three times, including a career-high 20 saves against Wake Forest, the second-most in a match in program history.
THE KERRY COUNTER:
Career Shutouts:
1. 24, Breland Meany……………………………………………2001-2004
2. 21, Caroline Clarke…………………………………………. 2007-2010
3. 15, Kerry Eagleston ……………………………………….2019-present
4. 14, Megan Roebrson ………………………………………..2012-2015
Career Saves:
1. 375 Kelley Guinn …………………………………………….. 1994-1996
2. 369 Breland Meany……………………………………………2001-2004
3. 319 Caroline Clarke………………………………………….. 2007-2010
4. 287 Kerry Eagleston…………………………………………2019-present
HAYWOOD AT THE HELM: Aimee Haywood was announced as the fifth head coach in App State soccer history when she was hired in December. Haywood joins the Black and Gold following a two-year stint at Queens University where she helped the Royals to a 16-5-1 record last season on their way to the second round of the Division II NCAA tournament. Haywood went 23-7-2 in two seasons at Queens. Prior to that she spent four years leading her alma mater, Ohio Dominican, where she complied a 44-25-10 record. In 2017 she led the Panthers to a program-record 16-win season that culminated with their first Division II NCAA tournament win.
SCORELESS DRAWS: Following a 0-0 draw at George Mason, the Mountaineers have now posted three scoreless draws on the season, the most since 2010 when they recorded four on the year. They finished that season with five draws overall, the most in program history.
The Mountaineers opened the season with back-to-back scoreless draws, against Liberty and USC Upstate. Previously, the last scoreless draw involving App State came October 1, 2020 against The Citadel. The last time the Mountaineers posted scoreless draws in consecutive games was October 18 and 20 of 2013 when they did so against Wofford and Furman respectively. All scoreless draws prior to this season included overtime, which has since been eliminated from regular season contests.
ROLLING IN THE DEEP: Team depth is an aspect that has been prominently on display for the Mountaineers early on this season. On a roster comprised of 33 players, 24 have seen playing time already this year. Of those, 18 different players have earned at least one start, including newcomers Shannon Studer (5 starts), Anna Kate Highsmith (4), Katie Schumacher (3), Gabby Tremonti (2), Felicia Erkenfeldt (1), Lela Stark (1), and Emilene Parham (1).
WELCOME TO THE VALLEY: In the same way App State football’s Kidd Brewer Stadium has become known as The RockApp State soccer’s stadium goes by the moniker The Valley. Part of the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex, The Valley is situated along the bank of the South Fork New River, and at the Brookshire Trail, which ascends a mountainous landscape that provides a picturesque backdrop for App State soccer.
SPRING HAS SPRUNG: The Mountaineers impressed in the spring season posting wins over UNCG, Radford, and High Point. Their lone loss in the spring came to South Carolina, which had made it to the elite eight in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Five different players combined to score seven goals in the spring slate.
UP NEXT: App State closes out non-conference play, Thursday, as they host the Radford Highlanders at 7 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+. It opens up a three-game homestand for the Mountaineers, as ULM visits Boone on Sunday at 11 a.m., and Coastal Carolina comes to The Valley, Thursday, September 22 at 6 p.m.
