Mountaineers Face off with Western Carolina for First Time Since Joining SBC

OPENING KICK: Following four consecutive clean sheets, App State looks to continue their impressive non-conference season as they head to Cullowhee, N.C., Thursday, to take on Western Carolina at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
APP STATE LAST TIME OUT: An early goal from Izzi Wood on senior day set the tone for the Mountaineers, while sophomores Lela Stark and Reagan Sturgill each netted their first career goals in a 3-0 victory over FGCU. Wood scored on a beautiful left-footed flick in the 16^th minute, off a slotted pass from fellow forward Stephanie Barbosa. Before scoring the game-sealer in the 83^rd minute of action, Sturgill assisted on the Mountaineers second goal of the match, setting up Stark for a one-timer shortly before halftime. The offense finished the match with 20 shots on the afternoon, with Wood and Barbosa each tallying career-highs in shots, with eight and seven shots respectively. The defense held the Eagles to just three shots in the match, posting their fourth consecutive clean sheet in the process.
 
ABOUT WESTERN CAROLINA: Out of the Southern Conference, the Catamounts are 2-2-2 so far this season, most recently falling to No. 11 Clemson 5-0 on Sunday. Western Carolina has faced one common opponent of the Mountaineers, falling 2-1 to UT Martin on Aug. 27, a team the Mountaineers defeated 2-0 on the road on Aug. 24. The Catamounts also battled to a 2-2 draw with Sun Belt opponent, Georgia State. Isabella DeMarco (5 goals) and Naya Marcil (4 goals) have combined to score all nine goals for the Catamounts this season, while Leanne Trudel has started all six games in goal, posting a 1.63 goals-against average.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Thursday's matchup will mark the 16^th meeting all-time between App State and Western Carolina, but will be the first matchup since the Mountaineer departed the SoCon to join the Sun Belt Conference in 2014. The Catamounts lead the all-time series 11-3-1, most recently winning 1-0 in 2013 in the regular season finale, despite eight saves by Mountaineer goalkeeper Megan Roberson.
 
NATIONALLY RANKED DEFENSE: Entering Wednesday, the Mountaineers are ranked in the top-10 nationally in several defensive categories. App State places fourth in the nation in save percentage (.941), having saved 16 of 17 shots on goal this season. The Mountaineers are also tied for fifth in the nation in goals-against average (0.200), having allowed just one goal through five matches on the year. The Black & Gold have also posted four consecutive shutouts, bringing their shutout percentage to 80 percent, which is tied for eighth best in the country, out of 336 division one teams.
 
ON THE RISE: App State has won three of its first five games this season, marking the fewest games played to accumulate three victories since 2016, when the Mountaineers won three of their first four games of the season. Additionally, App State's four consecutive shutouts match a program record, also accomplished in both 2006 and 2007.
 
SHOT ADVANTAGE: Following a 20-shot offensive performance against FGCU on Sunday, the Mountaineers are now averaging 14.6 shots-per-game which ranks fourth best in the Sun Belt. App State opponents meanwhile are taking an average of 9.2 shots per-per-game, a 5.4 shot advantage for the Mountaineers. This is a noticeable improvement for the Mountaineers from a season ago when they averaged 11.1 shots-per-game while allowing 13.9 shots-per-game.
 
SUPER SUN BELT: Through three weeks of play this season, the Sun Belt has been one of the most impressive conferences in college soccer, with its members boasting a record of 46-18-13, accounting for a winning percentage of .682. Only the SEC (45-12-18, .720), Ivy League (19-6-6, .710), and Big Ten (45-15-19, .694) have had more success than the Sun Belt so far this year.

UP NEXT: App State will continue their three-game road swing on Sunday, as they head to Radford for a 2 p.m. matchup with the Highlanders. Radford is 3-2-1 this season and scheduled to face Tennessee in Knoxville Thursday night before hosting the Mountaineers. Sunday's match will be broadcast on ESPN+.