BOONE – Star athletes’ success in high school doesn’t always translate at the next level, but sometimes it does.
For ex-Hickory High soccer forward Isabelle “Izzi” Wood, it did just that. In her first collegiate season, Wood proved she belongs at the Division I level with Appalachian State University.
The Mountaineers began the 2020 season in a state of flux as it lost three of its first five games.
Just when things started to look good – after going on a two-game win streak following losses in the first three games of the season – App State took another hard dive as it finished its next five games at 0-4-1.
Like almost any collegiate athlete newbie, there were some rough patches in the beginning.
During that span, Wood attempted nine shots with none of them prevailing. However, with things looking bleak, she connected on her first goal of the season in the second outing against Troy on Oct. 16 in what would also be the game-winner, 1-0.
That win sparked a chain reaction of good for her team – although there was a minor setback against South Alabama in the next contest – as App State won its regular season finale against Coastal Carolina at home on Oct. 25 before heading off to the Sun Belt Championship in Foley, Alabama.
Heading into the tournament, the Mountaineers were 4-8-1 and had everything to prove.
Its first-round match-up was against No. 5-seed University of Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 2, which had a classic finish. It was a nip-and-tuck battle throughout which saw the Warhawks take a 1-0 lead into the break.
It took a team effort for the Mountaineers in the second half; for Wood, it would be the biggest game of her young career thus far as she capitalized for her second goal on the season following a big assist by senior midfielder Mary Perkins to tie it at 1-all in the 46th minute.
“Mary played a perfect ball to me, so my goal was a team effort,” said Wood. “It was super exciting to be able to finish that one, and the celebration hug from my teammates was the best.”
Following this goal, neither team could get the ball in the net which sent this contest into double-overtime. In that second overtime period, another Mountaineer freshman made some noise as Jordan Grigsby scored her first goal of the year in a big way. Senior Tess Cairney’s corner in the 108th minute found Grigsby, and she put it in the net for the 2-1 game-winner.
Mountaineers sophomore goalkeeper Kerry Eagleston finished the contest with six saves, and was tight in the net to not allow another goal after the one in the first period.
With the victory, App State earned its first postseason win since 2016. Next up on docket for App State was top-seeded Arkansas State (9-1-1) in the second round of the Sun Belt Championship.
The Mountaineers came into this contest on Nov. 5 with nothing but positivity, but unfortunately the Red Wolves were a bit more than it could handle as it lost, 1-0, thus ending its 2020 season at 5-9-1.
The Red Wolves outshot App State 21-5 and placed six shots on target as opposed to the Mountaineers one.
“I am disappointed that we lost, but Arkansas St. is a really good and experienced team,” said Wood on her first season being in the books. “I believe we have gotten better every game, so I wish we would have had a chance to have a full season. But, I am grateful that were able to manage through COVID.
“We have grown really close as a team as we’ve known that our season depended on how committed we were to each other and our bubble. Our coaching staff and our senior leaders believed in us freshmen and helped us navigate college life, school work, training schedule, taking care of our bodies, and being mentally tough…It is hard to believe this first season is over, but we’ll be using the off-season to get stronger, faster, and better.”
Although her first season is a wrap, Wood can use the tools given by her coaching staff and teammates to potentially elevate her game for her sophomore campaign in 2021.
