By Matt Present. BOONE, N.C. — BOONE, N.C. – As the sound of vuvuzelas rang out through the High Country, the App State Soccer team fed off the energy and delivered a 5-0 victory over Wofford in its home opener at The Valley.
Dynamic duo gets things started
The Mountaineers (1-0-1) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening 15 minutes of play, with the duo of Shannon Studer and Kaytan Kroboth working in tandem for a pair of tallies.
First it was Studer, who received the feed from Kroboth, used the outside of her right foot to slide the ball into space, before slotting it inside the near post in the ninth minute of play. Less than four minutes later, Studer repaid her helper – slicing through the defense before laying the ball off to Kroboth, who delivered a left-footed strike into the top left corner of the cage.
The goal was the first of Kroboth’s career, two games into her sophomore campaign. “It was great,” Kroboth said. “I’ve really been wanting one and really been waiting for it, I’ve been practicing it and I’m so glad I got to do it tonight at home with these girls.”
The Mountaineers kept the pressure on. In the 28th minute, sophomore Olivia Simon jumped a passing lane deep in the Terriers’ (1-2-0) end, and in one fell swoop booted a shot into the side netting to give the Mountaineers a 3-0 edge going into halftime.
More of the same in second half
App State forced another miscue less than eight minutes into the second half. Freshman Ellie Garrison fed a cross through the middle of the box, and while her pass was a stride behind Izzi Wood, a backtracking Wofford defender deflected it into the net for an own goal and a 4-0 lead.
Wood would find the net anyway, just 90 seconds later in heading home a Kyli Switalsi corner kick for her first tally of the season. The goal also marked the 16th of Wood’s career, moving her into sole possession of ninth place on the Mountaineers’ career scoring list.
The game was called with just under three minutes to play in regulation due to a severe head injury when two Wofford players collided.
Another clean sheet for Wommack
Goalkeeper Sarah Wommack posted four saves and a shutout for the second consecutive match. App State has now recorded 17 clean sheets in head coach Aimee Haywood’s tenure. The victory also extended the Mountaineers’ home unbeaten streak to 11 consecutive matches dating back to Oct. 14, 2022. The five goals were the most scored by the Mountaineers in a shutout since defeating UNC Asheville 6-0 Sept. 1, 2019.
The Mountaineers will celebrate senior day at home on Sunday as they play host to Charlotte. The senior day ceremony will begin at 4:15 p.m., ahead of a 5 p.m. tilt with the 49ers. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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