By: by Matthew Farhadi
Box Score
Post-Match Interviews with Coach King and Staci Pugh
KENNESAW, Ga. – Staci Pugh came up huge making two saves, while Kristin Kranick converted the game-winning penalty kick to give the Kennesaw State women’s soccer team a 4-2 shootout victory over East Tennessee State in the First Round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
This was the first-ever postseason match held at KSU Soccer Stadium, and it was also the first time Kennesaw State has been in a postseason game that went to penalty kicks since 2008.
The two teams were very evenly matched throughout the entire game as it was a tough, defensive struggle. Both teams knew how much was on the line, and they gave it everything they had in regulation and in the two overtime periods.
The stats throughout the 110 minutes of play gave Kennesaw State a slight edge as they led 13-10 in shots, and 5-3 in corner kicks.
After the two overtime periods the two teams got ready for the shootout. The Owls won the coin flip, and chose to shoot first.
Senior Caroline Austin gave the Black and Gold a good start to the shootout netting her kick in the top-left corner to give them a 1-0 lead.
Terri Miller stepped up to take the first penalty kick for ETSU, but she was stoned by Pugh to keep the 1-0 lead for Kennesaw State.
The two teams then went on to trade a pair of makes to make the shootout score 3-2.
With the game hanging in the balance, Kranick and Pugh stepped up big for the Black and Gold.
Kranick started the dramatics off by drilling the eventual game-winning penalty kick right down the middle giving the Owls a 4-2 lead, and Pugh finished the win off by saving Kelly Brinkman’s penalty kick to send the Black and Gold into a wild celebration.
Pugh gave her reaction to the shootout after the game.
“I was a little nervous to start the shootout. My attitude was just try to do my best, and Assistant Coach Matt Carr gave me some good advice this week at practice in regards to approaching penalty kicks as a goalkeeper so I definitely leaned on that. I just always try to take a side and hope I guess right, and on two occasions I did. This was a big win for us.”
Head Coach Rob King knows it was a big win for his team moving forward into the conference tournament.
“It was a good game tonight. Both teams had several chances throughout the game, and I thought we had more of those chances but we just couldn’t knock one in. We practiced penalty kicks during this week so we were prepared for the situation. Staci is a top-notch keeper so when you save a couple, and you bang in all your PK’s, you win.”
Kennesaw State will now move on to the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Semifinals to take on No. 1 seed, and tournament host, Jacksonville on Thursday, November 4 at 7 p.m.
