By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. OXFORD, OHIO – App State field hockey punched its ticket to the Mid-American Conference championship for the first time ever on Friday by defeating the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Kent State, 1-0 in the semifinals.
This was the 10th straight win for the Mountaineers (14-5, 5-2 MAC), continuing their second-longest winning streak in program history. The Black & Gold won 11 in a row during their inaugural season in 1968. App State’s 14th win also ties the school’s record for most wins in a season, set in 1978.
App State will face the Miami RedHawks (12-7, 6-1 MAC) on their own turf in the MAC championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the MAC Digital Network and live stats will be available to follow the action. The champion will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
“This is a huge win,” head coach Meghan Dawson said. “Kent State has an excellent program that defeated us earlier this season. Being able to show the growth that we’ve had by coming out today and winning is a significant milestone for our program.”
Dawson was named MAC Coach of the Year on Thursday for the role she played in App State’s incredible regular season.
After a scoreless first half that saw just two shots from each team, Carli Ciocco found the ball in the middle of a scramble and dished it to Charlotte Bosma who had two defenders in front of her. Bosma immediately shot it past both Kent State players into the goal for the only score of the game.Bosma, who missed the first six games of the season due to injury and came back to score four goals, had one word to describe her team’s mindset going into the championship game tomorrow.
“Relentless,” Bosma said. “We are not going to give up and we are hungry for more.”
After her assist, Ciocco became the all-time leader for single-season assists at App State with 13. That number puts her at No. 10 in the nation for assists this season.
Addie Clark recorded her seventh shutout this year, alongside Grace Ball and Allison Corey who each played all 60 minutes for the Black & Gold. App State has recorded the seventh-most shutouts of any team in the country this season, and Clark now ranks fourth in the nation in save percentage (.796) and goals allowed per game (1.00).
UP NEXT
App State looks forward to its matchup with the No. 1 team in the MAC on Saturday. The RedHawks defeated Ball State 2-0 on Friday with goals from Paula Peña Martinez and Katherine Groff.
Claudia Garcia Negrete assisted both of Miami’s goals on the day. Negrete was named to the All-MAC First Team on Thursday, along with three of her teammates.
Tomorrow’s contest will be a battle between two of the top goalkeepers in the nation. Miami’s Isabelle Perese was named MAC Goalkeeper of the Year after earning five shutouts, a save percentage of .816 and allowing just 0.99 goals per game.
