Kennesaw, Georgia -
Stephanie Grzeszkowiak and
Annie Phillips each tallied two goals to lead Kennesaw State to a 5-2 victory over North Florida Sunday afternoon at the KSU Soccer Complex.
The Owls improved to 11-2-0 and have now won nine straight matches, while UNF drops to 8-3-2 on the season.
Two quick strikes in the first seven minutes gave the Owls a early 2-0 lead and allowed the team to play pressure-free for basically the rest of the game. Grzeszkowiak notched the first goal just 1:52 into the match when she took a pass from Laura Tucker and slid the ball past UNF goalkeeper Heather Gosselin, who had come racing out to contest the shot.
In the seventh minute, freshman Annie Phillips scored on a similar play to the Grzeszkowiak's goal. Jenae Gzehoviak sent a pass to Phillips who was able to get past the Osprey defenders. When Gosselin came out of the net to block the shot, Phillips made a quick move to her right to avoid the keeper and easily sent the ball into the back of the open net for the 2-0 lead.
Phillips also scored the third Owls goal, and her sixth of the year, when she sent a perfectly placed shot into the upper left corner over the outreached hands of Gosselin. The multi-goal game was the second of Phillips' career.
North Florida gained some momentum late in the first half when Amy Clamons gained control of a loose ball in front of the Owls net and knocked home the Osprey's first goal in the 37th minute, cutting the lead to 3-1.
But the Owls regrouped after the halftime break and scored the next two goals to ice the game. Grzeszkowiak put the Owls up 4-1 in the 67th minute when she carried the ball down the left side and fired a shot from 35 yards out over goalkeeper Haley Evans, who had replaced Gosselin after halftime, into the upper right corner of the net.
Mandy Nolin scored the final Owls goal in the 80th minute by breaking away from the UNF defenders and slipping a shot past Haley. It was Nolin's fourth goal of the season.
Dana Hemke finished out the scoring in the 84th minute when Lauren Winn sent a cross into the goal box that was broken up by KSU goalkeeper Jessica Marek. Christine Brewer controlled the rebound and sent a pass to Hemke who blasted the shot into the right side of the goal.
Kennesaw State outshot the Ospreys 10-8 and led 4-3 in corner kicks. Marek had three saves for the Owls, while Gosselin and Evans recorded none. The fouls were even at four, but Osprey forward Ali Blochl received a yellow card in the 44th minute.
KSU next takes on the Lakers of Clayton State on October 23 at the KSU Soccer Complex. Kick off is scheduled for 3:00 PM.
