Mountaineers Dominate Senior Day with Historic 9-0 Victory Over Kent State

Image Courtesy Of App State Facebook

Appalachian State field hockey celebrated Senior Day in spectacular fashion Friday, posting a commanding 9-0 shutout over Kent State to conclude the regular season. The nine-goal performance established a program record for most goals scored against a MAC opponent and marked the team’s highest output since a 10-1 victory over Queens in 2022.

Seniors Shine in Finale

Six of seven seniors found the back of the cage in the emotional victory: Sophia Baxter, Lise Boekaar, Sarah Callery, Samantha Connors, Hadley Kuzmicky, Kate Richardson, and Henriette Stegen all scored. Frederique Grimbergen also contributed to the offensive explosion.

Quarter-by-Quarter Domination

First Quarter: The Mountaineers (13-5, 7-2 MAC) established control immediately, with Baxter scoring her 13th goal of the season before Kuzmicky netted a deflection off a penalty corner. App State outshot Kent State (4-11, 3-6 MAC) 5-0 in the opening period.

Second Quarter: Grimbergen extended the advantage to 3-0, scoring off a goalkeeper deflection to give App State commanding momentum heading into halftime.

Third Quarter: The offensive assault continued as Boekaar slammed home her 13th goal of the season before Kuzmicky added her second tally and 10th of the year. The Mountaineers generated four penalty corners compared to Kent State’s one.

Fourth Quarter: App State poured on four final goals. Richardson scored her seventh of the season after a scramble around the goal, followed by Stegen’s third of the year off a Kuzmicky assist. Connors converted a penalty corner for her second goal of the season, and Callery capped the scoring with a sliding finish in the final minute.

Playoff Position Secured

The victory secured App State’s position as the No. 3 seed in the MAC Field Hockey Championship. Goalkeeper Claire Grenis (13-5) earned the shutout with four saves, while Kent State’s Allison Wood (4-11) made seven saves in the loss.

Tournament Awaits

The Mountaineers travel to Harrisonburg, Virginia, for the MAC Championship, facing No. 6-seed Ohio on Wednesday, November 5, at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+.