Oct. 12, 2007
Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Kennesaw State ripped off three second half goals as the Owls took sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 3-0 win over Belmont in a battle of undefeated teams on Friday evening.
With first place in the conference on the line, the defending conference champion Owls (10-2, 5-0 A-Sun) came out aggressively with five shots in the first half while also adding four corner kicks.
A number of turnovers in the first half allowed the Bruins (10-2-1, 4-1 A-Sun) to remain competitive with the Owls, although the pace of the match was dictated by Kennesaw State. The Bruins were able to muster three shots on goal, but only one challenged Owls freshman goalkeeper Katie Piotrowski.
Caitlin Dingle got the Owls on the board in the 56th minute when she bounced a shot off the gloves of Bruins goalkeeper Micaela Crowley. Dingle's ninth goal of the season tied her briefly for the team lead with Annie Phillips, who, along with Sara Clapham, assisted on Dingle's game-winner.
"We played very, very well in the second half," said KSU head coach Rob King. "We turned over the ball more than usual in the first half and at halftime we told the team to keep and working and things will come. Caitlin had a good strike outside the box and after we went up a couple of goals, we looked more relaxed."
Kennesaw State would build a 2-0 lead when Clapham scored on a penalty kick in the 58th minute. The Owls offense came with a swarm of shots that kept Crowley under attack, a close-range blast ricocheted off the Bruins keeper and into the hands of a Belmont.
Clapham placed the kick to the keeper's left side. Crowley moved in the right direction, but Clapham's ball had too much pace and scooted past the sprawling keeper for a two-goal KSU lead.
Phillips would regain the team lead with her 10th goal of the year in the 74th minute when she took a ball from Clapham, who had began the attack with a series of masterful moves through the Bruins defense. A quick run at the end led to a pass to Phillips who toe-poked home the final tally of the night.
Clapham finished with four points on the night with a goal and two assists while Phillips had three points.
"It was a good team performance," added King. "Our forwards again played well, our midfielders had a solid effort and our defense was strong. We dominated the second half and held Belmont to very few opportunities."
Beth Meadors had another solid outing for the Owls, winning the majority of headers and dominating on 50-50 balls. Maylee Attin-Johnson had a strong effort, creating numerous opportunities for her teammates.
Piotrowski finished the evening with three saves, enabling the freshman goalkeeper to earn her seventh shutout of the season.
The Black and Gold will return home to square off with Lipscomb in a key A-Sun match this Sunday. Match time at the KSU Soccer Complex is set for 2:00 p.m.
