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BOONE, N.C. – The App State soccer team heads to Huntington, W. Va. on Sunday to play its final road match of the regular season against Marshall, needing a point to secure a berth in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Kickoff from Hoops Family Field is set for 1 p.m. and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Mountaineers (9-3-4, 4-2-2) are coming off a comeback victory over Southern Miss on Wednesday at home. Despite falling behind 1-0 early, Taylor Duff leveled the score just before halftime and Libby Bermingham registered a second-half brace to lead App State to a 3-1 win. Bermingham has now scored eight goals and added two assists on the season. Both of her goals were assisted by Ellie Garrison, who paces the App State offense with nine goals and a pair of helpers on the year. It’s the first time since 2016 that the Mountaineers have had multiple players score at least six goals in the same season. App State as a team has now scored 27 goals on the year, also the most since 2016.
App State sits in fourth place in the Sun Belt standings with 14 points on the season. The Mountaineers lead the Sun Belt in corner kicks, averaging 8.2 per game, a mark that ranks sixth nationally, following a season-high 17 against Southern Miss. App State ranks second in the league in goals allowed (13) and is third in shots (211). The Mountaineers have posted eight shutouts this season, one shy of a program record. App State’s defense is led by sophomore center backs Lucy Harrington and Maddie Williams who have each played over 1,400 minutes this season, while sophomore goalkeeper Hanna Skogsfors ranks second in the Sun Belt in goals-against average (0.76) and shutouts (6).
Marshall (7-4-5, 3-2-3) sits one spot behind the Mountaineers in the standings with 12 points on the year, including an unbeaten 4-0-3 mark at home this season. The Thundering Herd are coming off a 2-0 loss at Georgia State on Thursday, as the Panthers scored a goal in the 79th and 80th minutes to claim the victory, despite Marshall holding the advantage in shots 15-12 and 8-5 on target. Wiktoria Mikrut leads the team with seven goals and three assists on the season, while Emma Durand has started 15 games in goal this season, posting a 1.40 goals-against average. A team that plays a physical brand of soccer, Marshall’s 30 yellow cards this season are the most in the league and fourth-most nationally.
Sunday’s match will mark the 10th all-time meeting between the two programs. Marshall leads the all-time series 6-1-2, including a 2-0 victory last season in Boone. The Mountaineers’ lone win in the series was a dominant 5-1 victory in 2023, highlighted by a hat-trick from Olivia Simon.
App State will close out the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 1 when the team hosts Troy at 1 p.m. at The Valley. The Trojans enter the weekend tied for ninth place in the Sun Belt standings, with the top eight teams advancing to the conference tournament.
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