It’s a crisp, fall morning as App State field hockey takes the field at Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field Hockey Complex. Senior midfielder Lise Boekaar fires shots into the top left corner that onlookers can hear hit the net.
What they also hear from the sidelines is the praise she gets from head coach Emily Dinsmore on her growth as a competitor.
“Once she gets on the field, she’s locked in. I kind of relate it to Michael Jordan the way she leads by example,” Dinsmore said. “She’s intense in her play, and she wants to win, and the team sees that.”
A berth in the Mid-American Conference championship game in 2022 and a first team All-MAC selection in 2023 and 2024 is in the back of her mind, but so is a NCAA tournament appearance. In her own words: “It’s the ultimate goal.”
Boekaar landed in the United States in 2022 from Groningen, a city on the northern coast of the Netherlands. A six-hour time difference separates her and her family, but she said she made a new family the second she stepped into the High Country.
(Ella Moore)
“I felt at home very quickly. I was shy in the beginning and a bit nervous, but the team, and especially my class, was so nice and welcoming, which made it a very easy transition,” Boekaar said. “I love the sports culture they have here and being in the mountains, but I feel most at home in the Netherlands, where the land is flat, and I can bike everywhere.”
In her first season, Boekaar started 17 of 20 games while scoring 3 goals on 6 shots, which led the team at 50%. She also was second on the team in shots on goal percentage at 83%.
Her first year on the team saw some firsts for the program as well. A first-ever MAC championship game appearance came as she played meaningful minutes, 45 per game out of a possible 60 during the best 10-game stretch of the Mountaineers’ season. At the end of her season, she was named to the All-MAC second team.
A disappointing 3-1 loss to Miami University of Ohio ended App State’s season that year in the MAC Championship game, a surprising run after not making the MAC tournament in the previous year. But to Boekaar, disappointment isn’t failure, it’s redirection.
“Even from day one, you could tell that Lise is a competitor,” Dinsmore said. “Each and every year she has grown and gained more confidence. It’s always a transition and trying to find your place, but she’s become more comfortable.”
Boekaar’s sophomore year was the first under Dinsmore. Lise became a star in the midfield in the new coaches’ system, notching career highs in every category the school tracks and getting selected to her first All-MAC team. Boekaar was also a key part in App State finishing the year on a 9-game win streak, which included a shocking defeat of the No. 8 Louisville Cardinals at their own stadium on their Senior Day.
The game against Louisville solidified App State and Boekaar as a force to be reckoned with. After that game, teams began double and even triple teaming her.
A loss to an 8-10 Kent State in the first game of the MAC tournament ended what seemed to be a dream season for the Black and Gold. But Boekaar did what she always does — she looked forward.
Last season kept the same flow for Boekaar. She was named first team All-MAC for the second straight year while scoring 3 goals and dishing out 7 assists. The accolades didn’t stop; winning the first-ever MAC regular season title for App State only cemented the team’s and Lise’s place in the history books. But another defeat at the hands of Miami (OH) in overtime ended the Mountaineers’ season.
(Ella Moore)
While Boekaar and App State have seen three straight years of history, they have also seen heartbreak and defeat. However, Boekaar doesn’t give into it, and she said she continues to practice and improve because of her teammates and her drive for her goals.
“For me, the team is what gives me the most energy and pushes me to get better everyday,” Boekaar said. “I’m almost always excited for practice, but even on the days I’m not, once we arrive at the field and see my teammates, I can’t wait to practice.”
Lise has put the field hockey world on notice to start the year. Through 7 games, she has a staggering 8 goals and 14 assists. Her 8 goals lists her second in the MAC right now but 14 assists doubles up second place in the conference and is the most any App State player has had in a season since 2016.
Boekaar’s staggering assist total has catapulted her into being the all-time leader in assists for App State. She achieved the record with 3 assists in a 5-3 victory over conference foe Ohio University.
The strong start to the season has Mountaineer fans excited for the rest of the year, but Boekaar is also looking forward to graduation this May and spending time back in her home country.
“I’m definitely going to party with my class, celebrating finishing our studies here,” Boekaar said. “Hopefully, I will be able to travel and see a bit more of America before I’m going back home to the Netherlands. I’m planning to do my masters at home while still playing field hockey. I always loved Amsterdam and would like to do my masters there, especially since my sister just moved there for university as well.”
