By: by Jessica Steadman
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State got off to a quick start with three first half goals from Alyssa Mahan, Caitlin Dingle and Bridget Gaughan as the Owls defeated Stetson, 3-0, in Atlantic Sun Conference action on Friday night at the KSU Soccer Complex.
Stetson’s (4-5-0, 0-1-0 A-Sun) Courtney Jenista took the first shot of the game, but it was the Owls (4-3-0, 2-0-0 A-Sun) who were in complete control of the first half as they out shot the Hatters, 9-3, while staying undefeated in A-Sun play.
“I was really pleased with the effort we put forth tonight,” said head coach Rob King. “We put a lot of pressure on them and we were able to execute when it counted. We knew Stetson is a physical team so we made sure we were ready for that in practice this past week.”
Mahan scored the first goal of the night when she netted her third goal of the season in the 25th minute after she rebounded her own shot with a header just in front of the Stetson goal to put the Owls up 1-0. Brittany Vining and Maylee Attin-Johnson each had an assist.
The Black and Gold offense continued to take over the game when minutes after Mahan’s goal freshman Lexi Hastings quickly put a laser shot on target that was stopped by Stetson keeper, Andrea Garavaglia.
In the 35th minute, the Owls broke through for their second goal of the evening when Jade Dempster sent a free kick toward the front of the goal that perfectly positioned Dingle to put a header right past Garavaglia.
Gaughan picked up the second goal of her career with a minute remaining in the first half when she took a corner kick from Dingle and headed a ball to the left corner of the goal to put the Owls up 3-0.
“The goal was exciting for me,” said the senior defender. “I love playing defense, but I’m glad I got to contribute offensively for once instead of just defensively. Our offense really came together well tonight.”
The Hatters offense continued to put pressure on the Kennesaw State defense in the second half as they took five shots, the same number as the Owls. Last season’s A-Sun Player-of-the-Year, Tessa Gavilsky, tried to single-handedly bring the Hatters back with two headers within minutes of each other, but KSU goalkeeper Staci Pugh came up big with nine saves en route to her second straight conference shutout of the season.
Pugh had another fine outing and was supported by a tremendous effort by the Owls back line of Dempster, Gaughan, Thais Gibson and Sadjr Williams. The Owls keeper kept her shutout in tact with an excellent diving stop of a Heather Berg one-on-one breakaway in the 72nd minute.
“Staci is definitely back to her old self,” added King. “She’s doing what we know she could do both as a goalkeeper and team leader.”
Kennesaw State tried to add to their 3-0 lead when Dingle took back-to-back shots in the 75th and 77th minutes, but couldn’t find the back of the net as Garavaglia came up with two saves.
With the minutes winding down, the Owls took two more shots, one from Ruffini and another blast from Dingle, both from 20-yards out. Dingle ended the game with a game-high five shots. The Owls out-shot the Hatters, 14-8, in the match.
“Conference games are a little more physical and a little more personal since we play them every year,” said Dingle. “It’s tough to go to Stetson and play on their field so for them to come here and us to beat them is very satisfying.”
League play continues on Sunday afternoon when the Owls host Florida Gulf Coast at 1:00 p.m. at the KSU Soccer Complex.
