BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University women's soccer prepares to host its first Sun Belt Conference matchups of the 2016 season, beginning with Texas State on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. and then moving to Sunday, Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. when it faces Georgia State.

The Mountaineers (5-5) struggled in their opening weekend of conference, falling to two of the only three teams predicted to finish higher than Appalachian in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll. The shutouts hurt App State in the offensive rankings, but the team continues to be in the upper echelon of the league, ranking fourth in shots (147), sixth in points (37), tied-sixth in goals (13) and fifth in assists (11). 

The Mountaineers were finally dethroned from leading in corners this season by Troy, who now have three more than the Mountaineers at 69.

Individually, senior forward Jane Cline still leads the Sun Belt in shots (39) and shots per game (3.90), while redshirt sophomore Erin Settle joins Cline in points and goals. Cline is second in points (14) and goals (six) while Settle is tied-ninth (seven) in points and tied-fifth in goals (three). Cline also leads the league in game-winning goals with three so far this season.

Senior forward Jenn Bass is tied for fourth in assists with three in the season.

Bashing the Bobcats

The Texas State Bobcats are entering the match 5-4-1 (2-0) so far, including key conference wins over Little Rock and Georgia State. It's the second-straight year that the Bobcats have started off 2-0 in league play and will face a tough stretch going forward as the team begins a three-match road trip on Friday.

So far this season, Texas State has been close to invincible at home (4-1-1), but have struggled on the road 1-3. The Bobcats are currently on a three-match winning streak.

Leading the offensive charge has been Kassi Hormuth and Clarissa Leon. Hormuth is second in the Sun Belt in shots with 35 and Leon is tied for ninth in the league in points (seven).  Hormuth joins Alyssa Phelan on the assist charts too, ranking tied for fourth with three each. During the waning moments of a match, Jordan Kondikoff has been the go-to for Texas State, scoring two game-winning goals this season – good for tied-second in the Sun Belt.

In the net for the Bobcats is split between Kathryn Budde and Heather Martin. Budde is second in the conference in goals against average (0.44) while Martin is seventh (0.99). Budde is also second in save percentage (.875).

The Mountaineers have faced Texas State twice prior to this weekend, with each team picking up home wins. Last year, Appalachian hosted the Bobcats on a pouring rain, 55-degree night and dominated in the elements for 90 minutes, winning 5-0.

Pouncing on the Panthers

The Georgia State Panthers enter the weekend 3-3-3 (0-1-1 Sun Belt) after drawing with UL Lafayette and falling to Texas State. The Panthers were able to pick up big wins in the nonconference weeks against Alabama A&M and Alabama State.

The Panthers thus far have been inconsistent, but dangerous when all cylinders are firing. 

As a team, Georgia State is third in the conference in saves with 54 this season (6.0 per game) and are also tied for first in shutouts with five.

Individually for the Panthers, Ray Caitlin is their biggest dime dropper, having three assists on the year – good for tied-fourth in the league. Brie Haynes is also in the top 10 for goals against average at 1.24 and save percentage at .818. Haynes is second in the conference with 54 saves this season and tied for first in shutouts with five.

The Mountaineers have faced the Panthers four times in program history with Georgia State owning a 3-1 record. Last year, Appalachian fell in a tough defensive battle 1-0 in Boone.

Notes

The Mountaineers are trying to bounce back from being shut out back-to-back in conference opening weekend ... it's first time since Oct. 9 and Oct. 11 that App State has been shut out back-to-back (South Alabama and Troy) … with the beating of Maryland on Sept. 4, Appalachian State beat their first "Power Five" university in program history and improved to 1-0 against the current Big Ten … it's the first time since Clemson came to Boone in 2011 that App has hosted a "Power Five" school ... Record Book Watch: senior Cline currently ranks tied-fifth all-time in career goals (22), tied-third in career assists (13), sixth in career points (57) and seventh in career shots (154) ... Cline also has five game-winning goals, ranking fifth since 2004 ... Cline is also one game-winning goal away this season from tying Dana Murphy (2004) for most game-winning goals in a season with four ... redshirt sophomore Settle was named SBC Offensive-Student Athlete of the Week after scoring two goals in her first matches back from tearing her ACL and being forced to miss last season ... junior defender Lindsey Tully was named to the preseason All-Sun Belt team after being named first-team all-conference at the end of last season ... the Mountaineers were picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll with South Alabama (first), Troy (second), Coastal Carolina (third), ranking above them.