By: by Jessica Steadman
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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State women’s soccer team surged into first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings with a, 4-2, win over Belmont on Sunday afternoon at the KSU Soccer Complex to complete a weekend sweep of the Nashville-based schools.
The Black and Gold now stand alone in first place in the conference standings with 15 points, two points ahead of Belmont and three ahead of Campbell, who was off on Sunday.
The Owls (7-5-0, 5-2-0 A-Sun) wasted little time taking an early lead against the Bruins goalkeeper and reigning A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week, Sari Lin. Brittany Vining scored her second goal of the season in the 3rd minute, snapping Lin’s scoreless streak at 381 minutes, as she headed a cross from Kristin Marietta, putting it to the left side of the back post.
The Bruins (7-5-2, 4-1-1 A-Sun) Erica Carter nearly tied the game in the 12th minute when she found herself one-on-one with KSU goalkeeper, Staci Pugh, but her shot glanced off the crossbar and out of play.
The Owls, however, kept the pressure on the Bruins throughout the first half, nearly scoring twice before taking a two-goal lead when Kristin Kranick put away a penalty kick in the 37th minute, beating Lin with a blast to the right side of the goal.
The Kennesaw State defense was once again solid, as they broke up several Belmont offensive attacks, including a Bridget Gaughan defensive clear in the final moments of the first half. Belmont’s Alex Mindle accepted a pass in the box, but her shot attempt was broken up by Gaughan with the clock winding down to keep the Black and Gold lead in tact.
In the 42nd minute, Katie Scott received a ball down the right wing from Kranick and found the back of the net, sending the Owls into halftime with a 3-0 advantage.
“I was pleased to get three goals in the first half,” said head coach Rob King. “It was a great start, we played very well and took our chances. We put a lot of pressure on them.”
Belmont took control offensively in the second half, out-shooting the Owls 7-5, which included a header from Jamie Loftis in the 53rd minute that was saved by Pugh.
In the 62nd minute, Belmont mounted a brief comeback when Annie Musacchio sent a corner kick in front of the net that resulted in Laura Harris’ first goal of the season, making the Owls lead, 3-1.
With the game winding down, the Bruins tried frantically to get back in the match, but Pugh again came up big for the Owls. The Owls goalkeeper made a huge save in the 64th minute to stop a Loftis shot.
The Kennesaw State defense attempted to clear Pugh’s initial save, but the ball was deflected in front of the goal and Pugh quickly pounced on it, preserving the 3-1 lead.
“I tried to tip it because I couldn’t control the first shot,” said Pugh. “I looked up, saw Thais (Gibson) try to deflect the ball and just tried to collect it as fast as I could. It was a pretty big save at the time because it was 3-1 at the time and we could not let them back in it.”
Three minutes later, the KSU offense came back to life after Jade Dempster sent a cross to Marietta who settled the ball and finished her shot past a diving Lin to give the Owls their fourth goal of the match and a three-goal advantage. The Bruins keeper had entered the match allowing just eight goals on the season.
Belmont took advantage of a Kennesaw State foul in the box when Jayme Troccino scored her ninth goal of the year on a penalty kick in the 80th minute, narrowing the margin to two goals.
Although there was constant pressure on the KSU defense, the back-line, made up of Gaughan, Dempster, Gibson and Sadjr Williams stayed strong to move into first place in the league. The Owls out-shot the Bruins 15-8 in the match while Pugh picked up three saves.
“I thought we defended well against Belmont,” added King. “Overall I am very pleased with the weekend in general. We had two good wins and are now sitting at the top of the league.”
The Owls look to maintain their hold on first place next weekend when they travel to Spartanburg, S.C. to take on USC Upstate on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
| Teams |
W |
L |
T |
PTS |
| KENNESAW STATE |
5 |
2 |
0 |
15 |
| Belmont |
4 |
1 |
1 |
13 |
| Campbell |
4 |
2 |
0 |
12 |
| # FGCU |
3 |
1 |
2 |
11 |
| Jacksonville |
3 |
1 |
2 |
11 |
| Stetson |
3 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
| North Florida |
2 |
3 |
1 |
7 |
| Mercer |
2 |
4 |
1 |
7 |
| ETSU |
2 |
3 |
0 |
6 |
| Lipscomb |
1 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
| # USC Upstate |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
# Ineligible for conference tournament
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009
Kennesaw State 4, Belmont 2
North Florida 0, Florida Gulf Coast 0
Mercer 5, Lipscomb 1
Jacksonville 2, Stetson 2
