DAVIDSON, N.C. - Appalachian State field hockey fell to the Pacific Tigers 6-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Carol Grotnes Belk Turf Field in Davidson, N.C. Goalkeeper Rachel Gaines had a monstrous performance collecting 19 saves in the match.

“Pacific is a really dynamic team that kept us on our heels all game,” said head coach Meghan Dawson. “Our defense was able to keep a lot of their opportunities out of the goal.”

Pacific (8-3) delivered the first strike of the match from a shot produced by Alicia Muinos to give the Tigers the early lead in the 12th minute. Then four minute later, Pacific would smash in an unassisted goal to bring their lead to 2-0 with 16 minutes shaved off the clock.

Down by two, the Mountaineers (1-9) were eager to whip up the right play to break onto the boards and Taylor Cimbalist would do just that by darting in her fifth goal of the season to shrink the Tigers' gap to one (2-1).

As the clock ticked down in the first, Marguerite van Wyk snuck in a late goal off one of their nine penalty corners of the half to extend their lead back up by two (3-1).

The Tigers showered Appalachian's backfield with 21 shots and 11 on target, but Pacific's attacks were continuously countered by Gaines who swatted away eight in the first.

With the score close at 3-1, both squads were determined to deliver the game-changing plays to take the match. Pacific would strike 11 minutes into the second with a high shot into the net off of one of their eight corners of the half. Suddenly in a blink of an eye, senior captain Jordan Van Cleave responded to the Tigers' goal by firing a shot off of a penalty corner in the 50th minute.

Only down by two, Appalachian was focused on rallying back to steal the match away from their California foes, but Pacific would score two more goals late in the second to run away with the bout 6-2.

Offense

The Pacific Tigers controlled the majority of the match on App State's side of the field administering 39 shots with 25 on goal compared to App's six shots and three towards the net. Also, the Tigers received 13 more penalty corners than the Mountaineers, which was highly influential to their victory.

At Net

Goalkeeper Gaines shattered her previous single-game high of 11 saves by totaling 19 on Davidson's turf on Saturday afternoon, all while protecting the net for 70:000 minutes.

“I think my team, the defense and I played really well together today,” said Gaines. “We have grown to trust each other over the course of the season and it shows in our efforts each game. I know they have my back on every play and they know I have theirs, which enables us to all play to the best of our abilities.”

Up Next

The Black and Gold will host two back-to-back home games in Boone on Friday, Oct. 7 against Lock Haven and on Sunday, Oct. 7 against Saint Francis. App State will honor seniors Van Cleave and Micaela Diedericks on Sunday's match against Saint Francis.