By Jacob Plecker for App State Sports. BOONE, N.C. — Deep into the fourth quarter with the scored deadlocked at 0-0, an insert by Florine Koopman into the circle found junior Jillian Orcutt, who saw an opportunity, took the pass and fired the ball past the Davidson goalkeeper to give App State (3-1) a lead that decidef today’s contest.
Orcutt scored the game’s lone goal with just eight minutes to play in the Sept. 3 contest. It was a tightly contested matchup, but Orcutt and the Mountaineers prevailed thanks to outstanding defense — and timely offense near the end.
Coach Dinsmore stressed ball control after Friday’s loss to Drexel and the Mountaineers proved they listened. App State controlled the ball for much of this game and generated several chances to score before finally netting the deciding goal late.
“Everyone wanted it really bad today,” Orcutt said. “We talk a lot in practice about framing the cage and we executed that very well today by being in the right positions. Everyone worked really hard to execute the game plan and I’m just grateful I was in the right spot.”
The Mountaineer defense was especially potent, posting the team’s first shutout of the year. Davidson managed only two corners and any momentum generated from possessing the ball for long periods was quickly thwarted by the pressure provided by App State.
“The defense was locked in today,” head coach Emily Dinsmore said. “They were a force to be reckoned with. They didn’t let Davidson generate much. Even when they did get shots, we contested the shots very well to where it made it an easier save for Addie. I’m really proud of the way we stood strong defensively today.”
How it Happened
1st Quarter
App State controlled the ball for much of the first quarter, generating several chances inside the attacking 25. The Mountaineers drew a corner early, giving them their first scoring chance of the day. Off the insert by Koopman, Sarah Perkins left the ball for Grace Ball who fired the game’s first shot but missed wide.
The Mountaineers drew a second corner opportunity with five minutes to play in the opening frame, but nothing came of it as the Davidson defense stood strong. After the first quarter of play, the game was scoreless with App State leading the shot tally 1-0.
2nd Quarter
Davidson responded well to App State’s strong opening quarter on offense, controlling the ball and generating multiple shots and corners.
The second quarter started with an App State corner just 43 seconds in. Off the insert, Charlotte Bosma fired her first of four shots on the day but had it blocked. The Mountaineers rattled off two more shots in the quarter, but neither were on target.
The Wildcats outshot the Mountaineers 4-3 in the second quarter and showed some good resolve to App State’s pressure to end the half. Fifth-year goalkeeper Addie Clark picked up two of her five saves in the second period off the four Davidson shots.
Although the two teams were playing with aggression, neither team found the back of the cage in the first half. Addie Clark has posted four shutout halves this season.
3rd: The third quarter saw the Mountaineers push right back at Davidson’s strong second quarter, getting the ball into the circle on multiple occasions and outshooting the Wildcats 3-2.
The period started with a flurry of shots by Charlotte Bosma off two corners. The junior attempted a season-high four shots in today’s contest.
Davidson found a few opportunities to score, attempting two shots in the period, but the Mountaineer defense stood firm and contested every shot the Wildcats had. Both Wildcat shots were blocked by the staunch App State defense.
It was a very close game throughout the first three quarters on Sunday, and although both teams had plenty of opportunities, the score was deadlocked at zero as we headed to the final 15 minutes.
4th: The fourth quarter started with App State controlling the ball for much of the period with nothing to come of it. Then, in the 51st minute of play, Florine Koopman advanced the ball into the circle and crossed it to Orcutt who slapped the ball past the defense, finally finding the back of the cage.
The goal for Orcutt was her first career goal in the Black & Gold. She is now the third Mountaineer this season to achieve that milestone, joining freshmen Florine Koopman and Sophia Baxter.
Davidson got much more aggressive as play progressed in the fourth. The Wildcats fired two consecutive shots on goalkeeper Addie Clark, but Clark showed why she’s great and saved both of them.
The fourth quarter was tightly contested, but App State was able to make Orcutt’s first career goal stand up and the Mountaineers posted their third win of the season and first home win on the new turf at Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field.
