App State freshman midfielder Sophia Baxter has been named the MAC Conference Offensive Player of the Week following this weekend’s wins against Towson and Georgetown.

“Whenever an individual player is honored for an award, it is an honor for the whole team. We are proud of Sophia and excited to celebrate with her,” head coach Emily Dinsmore said.

It was a weekend full of firsts for the freshman from Sykesville, Md., in her return to her home state. She recorded her first career goal in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over Georgetown to give the Mountaineers a two-goal lead. Five minutes later, she notched her first career multi-goal game after slapping a shot past the Hoya goalkeeper to tally the Mountaineers’ third goal of the quarter and fourth of the game.

Baxter was instrumental in App State’s undefeated opening weekend, recording her first career start on Friday against Towson and finishing the weekend with a 1.000 shot-on-goal percentage.

The midfielder is the first Mountaineer to be named MAC Offensive Player of the Week since Sarah Farrell earned the honor in October 2022 and the first Mountaineer freshman to be honored since Henriette Stegen in September 2022.

Baxter and the rest of the Mountaineer squad will return home to Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field to face off with the Drexel Dragons in their first home game of the season on Friday, Sept. 1. First touch is slated for 7 p.m.