Aug. 31, 2008
Final Stats
MACON, Ga. - Red-shirt sophomore Staci Pugh made three vital saves during the Owls first penalty kick shootout since becoming Division I, as the Owls defeated Davidson and took home the LQ Cup Trophy on Sunday afternoon at Mercer University.
After sitting out the first two matches due to NCAA eligibility purposes, senior transfer Rachel Baer put the Owls ahead 1-0 on a breakaway off a long ball from freshman Katie Schwartz in the 20th minute.
"All we asked of our girls was to come out and play with some real intensity," said head coach Rob King. "They put a lot of pressure on the ball and worked really hard."
Davidson (2-0-1) fought back and halfway through the second half, Lauren Connor headed a shot in the 60th minute off a corner kick from Allison Drutchas, tying the game 1-1.
Christy Carry crushed KSU's hopes of a second half victory as she stopped an attempted penalty kick by the Owls.
Despite out-shooting the Wildcats 15-11, neither team was able to score through two overtimes, forcing a shootout to determine the winner of the tournament.
Kristin Kranick put the Owls a head 1-0 after a missed shot by Drutchas. Tying it up was DC's Tracy McCausland after a missed Owl attempt.
Pugh had her second of three saves in the Wildcats third kick by Stephanie Gerow before Caroline Austin put the Owls ahead 2-1. Both teams scored in the fourth attempt with Baer sending a shot past DC's goalkeeper, Carry.
In the fifth attempt, Davidson tied it up at three a piece on a shot by Suzanne Sitko while the Owls failed to connect.
After Pugh knocked down her third save of the shootout, the pressure was left on freshman Lauren Ruffini who delivered to give the Owls the LQ Cup championship in a 4-3 shootout.
"In a shootout the pressure is all on the kicker," said King. "Nobody would have blamed Staci (Pugh) if we would have lost. All we said to her was to go out and be the hero. And she was."
Kennesaw State is back in action on Tuesday, September 2 when they travel to Rome, Ga. to take on Berry College in a 4:00 p.m. match.
