Kent State University
Appalachian State University
Field Hockey to Wrap Up Regular Season at Murphy-Mellis Field
10/25/2018 8:29:00 AM | Field Hockey
Match #1
Vs. Appalachian State | Friday, Oct. 26 | 1:00 p.m.
Match #2
Vs. No. 11 Louisville | Sunday, Oct. 28 | 12:00 p.m. | Senior Day
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State University field hockey team is set to wrap up Mid-American Conference play, hosting Appalachian State at Murphy-Mellis Field at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26, followed by the final game of the regular season against No. 11 Louisville on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 12:00 p.m. Sunday's game against Louisville will also be Kent State's Senior Day with recognition of the team's five seniors prior to the contest.
Last time out, the Flashes moved to 4-1 in the Mid-American Conference with a 2-1 victory over Ohio University on Friday afternoon. Senior Pippa Best broke the gridlock in the 58th minute, recovering the ball off the goalkeeper's pads and knocking it into the cage for her first goal of the season. Freshman Luisa Knapp followed with her first goal of the season, assisted by freshman Helena Cambra Soler in the 60th minute to round out the Kent State attack. In the net, junior Mary Crumlish recorded a season-high 11 saves on 12 shots faced in the contest.
SCOUTING APPALACHIAN STATE
Appalachian State will enter the game 5-11 overall and 1-4 in the Mid-American Conference, following a 4-1 loss to Miami on Saturday. The Mountaineers have faced four nationally ranked teams on the season, including top-ranked North Carolina and No. 3 Duke.
The Mountaineers have netted 29 goals on the season with a season-high six goals in a victory over LIU Brooklyn at the beginning of the season. Appalachian State is led offensively by Veerle Van Heertum with nine goals and three assists, followed by Ali Williams with six goals and an assist and Fredi Stegan with five goals and seven assists. Four other Mountaineers have tallied goals, including Melissa Nobile with four goals. In goal, Rachel Gaines is 4-7, compiling 66 saves out of 140 shots faced in 758 minutes of action.
The Flashes defeated Appalachian State a year ago, 3-0, as senior Helen Harper and junior Laila Richter each scored goals in the contest.
SCOUTING NO. 11 LOUISVILLE
No. 11 Louisville has compiled a 12-5 overall record and is 3-3 in ACC play, facing 10 nationally ranked opponents throughout the season. The Cardinals' season has been highlighted with wins over No. 13 Boston College and No. 14 Syracuse, as well as a narrow 1-0 loss to No. 3 Duke in a shootout.
The Cardinals split last weekend on the road, defeating No. 14 Syracuse in double overtime on Friday and falling to No. 17 Albany, 1-0, on Sunday.
On the season, Louisville has outscored its opponents 36-22 and is led offensively by Bethany Russ with nine goals and two assists. Erica Cooper has tallied eight goals, while three additional Cardinals have netted four goals apiece. In goal, Ayeisha McFerran is 12-5 and has recorded 47 saves on the year.
The Flashes have faced Louisville 44 times in program history, compiling a 23-11 all-time record. The teams last met in Columbus, Ohio on Sept. 3, 2017 where the Flashes fell 5-1.
