BOONE, N.C. – The George Mason women's soccer team lost to Appalachian State 3-0 in Sunday afternoon's matchup in Boone, N.C. This is the first time the Mountaineers have defeated the Patriots in head-to-head action.

HOW THEY SCORED
APP STATE
11' | Stephanie Barbosa (1), assisted by Sarah Widderich (1) & Shannon Studer (1)
46' | Stephanie Barbosa (2)
58' | Izzi Wood (1) - Penalty kick

Patriot freshmen defenders Eliana Davin and Aria Hicks made their collegiate debuts. Hicks was first substituted in the 43^rd minute and Davin saw action in the second half, getting substituted in the 66^th minute.

The Patriots had an early opportunity in the game to score, when sophomore forward Sophie Davidson found herself on a breakaway down the left side of the field. Her left-footed shot aimed for the bottom right corner of the goal, but Mountaineer goalie Kerry Eagleston made the save and held on to the ball.

Appalachian State opened up the scoring in the 11^th minute when Shannon Studer ran down the left wing and crossed the ball from just before the end line. Sarah Widderich made first contact after the low-lying cross, but her kick redirected the ball to the far side of the goal, where Stephanie Barbosa was left alone and buried the shot.

Four minutes after the initial goal, Mason's Rachel Eberly had a shot on goal, but Eagleston blocked her shot as well. The last shot attempt Mason had on the half was when Ashley Shimberg collected a loose ball from just outside the attacking box. Shimberg's shot ended up being too strong and flew over the Mountaineer crossbar.

App State would score two more goals in the second half, with the first of the two happening within the first minute of the half.

After the Mountaineers crossed the ball into the box, Mason could not cleanly clear the ball. Stephanie Barbosa took advantage of the Patriot miscue by collecting the loose ball and slotting the ball into the goal for her second goal of the day.

A Patriot handball in the box would result in the final Mountaineer goal of the afternoon. In the 58^th minute, Izzi Wood scored the penalty to extend the lead 3-0.

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+.