GEORGE MASON (0-1-0) @ APPALACHIAN STATE (0-1-0)
WHEN: Sunday, August 20 @ 1 p.m.
WHERE: Boone, N.C. | Appalachian Soccer Stadium at the Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: Click Here
HISTORY: Mason leads the all-time series 2-0-1 | Last played each other on Aug. 28, 2022 in a scoreless draw in Fairfax, Va.

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BOONE, N.C. – The George Mason women's soccer team will play on the road for the first time this season, as they will face off against Appalachian State on Sunday, Aug. 20 in Boone, N.C. This will be the second straight year that the Patriots and Mountaineers will play each other and the first time since 2014 that Mason will play at App State's home field.

LAST TIME OUT
Mason opened their 2023 season in Thursday evening's matchup against Old Dominion. Before the start of the game, team recognized senior Milan Pierre-Jerome and assistant coach Alyssa Whitehead for their participation in this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup. They were given flowers, flags representing Haiti (for Milan) and Jamaica (for Coach Alyssa) and a standing ovation.

The Patriots dropped their home opener to the Monarchs 3-0. Nine freshmen players made their collegiate debut, with four of them starting the game. Rookie midfielder Molly Starner led the team in shots, with one shot being on goal. Goalkeeper Ginny Fronk saw 66 minutes of action on Thursday and recorded a game-high five saves.

Senior forward Shea Carroll recorded one shot on goal in the second half. Her shot was saved by the ODU goalkeeper.

SCOUTING APP STATE
Last season, the Mountaineers finished with an overall record of 6-9-4, while going 5-5 in the Sun Belt Conference. In the conference tournament, the #7 Mountaineers were upset by #10 Marshall 2-1 in overtime. 
 
Fifth-year senior Kerry Eagleston is a key returner for App State. The Winston-Salem, N.C. native started all 19 games last season and recorded a conference-leading 93 saves. She was also second in the conference in saves per game with 4.89.

Senior forward Izzi Wood is another key returner for the Mountaineers. She led the team in goals scored (6) points (12), shots (52) and shots on goal (24). Breckyn Monteith, another returning senior forward, led the team with assists.

The Mountaineers are coming off a season-opening loss to back-to-back NCAA Tournament qualifier Wake Forest by the score of 1-0 last Thursday evening in Winston-Salem. Their Sunday afternoon game with the Patriots will be their home opener.

HISTORY WITH THE MOUNTAINEERS
Mason leads the overall series 2-0-1. The Patriots hosted the Mountaineers last season for their second home game of the season, where the game was played to a scoreless draw. The first time these two schools met was on Sept. 14, 2014 in Boone, N.C., when the Patriots won 2-0 in Boone, N.C. Mason would win the following season's matchup, winning 1-0 in Fairfax.
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots will continue their tour of North Carolina, as they will travel to Greenville to face off against East Carolina on Thursday, Aug. 24. The afternoon game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and can be watched on ESPN+.
 
A LOOK AT 2023 THE PATRIOTS
The Patriots have a 37-player roster that comprise of 23 returners and 14 newcomers. More information of the 14 newcomers, who are all freshmen, can be read here.
 
Of the 23 returners, 18 are sophomores. One junior and four seniors round out the team.
 
Captains of the team are seniors Ashley Shimberg and Milan Pierre-Jerome. They are both entering their second year with the Patriots.
 
Shimberg, a forward from Tampa, Fla., is coming into this season with a two-game goal streak. Both goals she scored helped Mason secure draws in their final two games of the season.
 
Pierre-Jerome led the team in assists. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native is coming back from her national team duties, as she was on the Haitian national team during the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
 
Other key returners are sophomores Sophie Davidson, Rachel Eberly and Selamawit Caldart.
 
Sophie Davidson was one of six Patriots to see action in all 18 games last season, and she also started in 13 games. The forward totaled 11 shots, with six on goal, and recorded three goals in her rookie season. The Fulton, Md., native also secured an Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week award after her multi-goal performance on the last game of the season against VCU.
 
Rachel Eberly also saw action in all 18 games last season, starting in 16 of those games. The Denver, Pa., midfielder recorded a goal against Howard last season, while also tallying an assist at Princeton.
 
Goalkeeper Selamawit Caldart returns as the primary goalkeeper for the Patriots. The Shorewood, Wis., sophomore totaled 93 saves with a .750 save percentage. She recorded a shutout in last year's draw against Appalachian State.
 
Head coach Manya Puppione will be entering her third season at the helm for the Patriots. She is assisted by second-year coach Alyssa Whitehead and first-year coach Owusu Sekyere.
 
Alyssa Whitehead is also returning from national team duties, as she was the goalkeeper coach for the Jamaican national team in this summer's FIFA World Cup. Whitehead helped the Caribbean nation secure three shutouts in the tournament which resulted in the program's first ever advancement to the knockout stages at the World Cup.
 
Owusu Sekyere is Mason's new assistant coach. Sekyere was a former VCU assistant coach and was brought on to Mason's staff over the offseason. He will be entering his first season with the Patriots.
 
Rounding out the coaching staff is volunteer assistant coach Dominic Rutan. He will be entering his second season with the Patriots.