WASHINGTON – The American University field hockey team will round out its regular season slate this weekend on the road with a pair of non-conference matches at No. 13 Wake Forest (Friday, Oct. 27) and Appalachian State (Sunday, Oct. 29).
The Eagles finished their regular season Patriot League schedule on Saturday, Oct. 21, with a 3-1 win over Lafayette, bringing them up to 5-1 in the league and 12-4 overall.
Wake Forest, currently ranked 13th in Division I, bumped up to an 11-6 overall record, 3-3 in the ACC, after earning a pair of back-to-back shutouts against No. 9 Boston College, 3-0, and Davidson, 4-0, over the weekend.
Appalachian State has broken even this season with an overall record of 8-8, 3-3 in the MAC.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
AU is coming off a 3-1 win over Lafayette during Saturday's senior day game. Three Eagles contributed to the team's scoring efforts, including senior Anne Waverly Spencer who posted her first goal of her career to give the Eagles their final lead.
Sophomore Jette Dieckmann also earned her first career goal to put the Eagles on the board in the first half, and junior Rafaela Rubas closed the day's scoring with the team's third goal midway through the second half.
Freshman Noor Coenen continues to lead the team's overall scoring efforts with 13 goals and three assists for 29 points. Coenen remains one of the top freshmen in the NCAA, ranking sixth for points per game (1.81) and fifth in goals per game (0.81). She also sits in second in the Patriot League for both categories.
Senior Haley Bowcutt has also put up double-figure goals this season, earning a new career record with 10 goals and eight assists for 28 points. Rubas ranks third on the team with 26 points off of nine goals and eight assists, ranking first in assists for the team alongside Bowcutt.
Junior Maura Jacobs leads the team from the cage, posting a league-best 1.39 goals against average and five shutouts. She has pulled down 35 saves so far this season for a .636 save percentage.
Overall, the Eagles are averaging 18 shots per game and 3.4 goals per game off of a .200 shooting percentage.
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
No. 13 Wake Forest is coming off a pair of ranked victories against No. 17 James Madison, 3-2, and No. 9 Boston College, 3-0. The Demon Deacons have played 11 ranked teams throughout the season, including four within the top five of Division I. Among their 11 wins was a 2-1 overtime victory over Syracuse in September, who was ranked third in the NCAA at the time.
Wake Forest is led by junior Jule Grashoff who ranks third in the ACC with 43 points, 15 goals and 13 assists.
Twelve other players have contributed to Wake Forest's 50 goals this season, including sophomore Nicola Pluta who ranks second on the team with nine goals and two assists for 20 points.
Sophomore Isla Bint leads the team from the cage with 55 saves off of a .696 save percentage for a 2.13 goals against average.
Overall, the Demon Deacons average 14.8 shots per game and 2.9 goals per game off of a .199 shooting percentage.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Appalachian State enters the weekend on a four-game winning streak after holding Central Michigan scoreless in back-to-back games earlier in the month before tabbing another shutout against Saint Louis and outlasting conference-foe Ball State, 3-2, on Saturday.
Senior Taylor Cimbalist leads the Mountaineers as the teams' only double-figure goal-scorer with 11 for the season. She also leads the team with seven assists for a total of 29 points.
Sophomore Ali Williams ranks second on the team with eight goals, followed by freshman Meghan Smart with four.
Sophomore Rachel Gaines is Appalachian State's lone goalkeeper. She has pulled down 107 saves so far this season for a .695 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average.
The Demon Deacons are averaging 10.8 shots per game and 1.8 goals per game with a .173 shooting percentage.
For the latest on AU Field Hockey, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter @AU_FieldHockey.
