By: by Matt Farhadi
Game Notes
Gametracker
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Kennesaw State women’s soccer team hopes to continue their strong start to the 2010 season when they travel to Knoxville, Tenn. for the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic this weekend. The Owls will open the tournament against the Richmond Spiders of the Atlantic 10 on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
The Owls (2-0) are looking to start a season with three straight wins for the first time since they joined the ranks of NCAA Division I in 2004.
This weekend’s event marks the first time the Owls will be playing in back-to-back matches away from home this season. It will also be the first time they will be taking on either Richmond or Maryland in the program’s history. Kennesaw State, Maryland, Richmond and host Tennessee represent the four schools who will be participating in the event, which will take place Friday and Sunday at Regal Stadium on the campus of UT.
Kennesaw State comes into this contest with a record of 2-0 with its main formula for success thus far being a balanced offensive attack. The Black and Gold opened their season with a 4-3 win at the College of Charleston, and put together an impressive 6-0 win in its home opener against Alabama A&M. The Owls have had seven players score at least one goal in the first two games with Preseason All-Atlantic Sun member Kristin Marietta and fellow junior Alyssa Mahan leading the way with two goals and one assist.
Richmond (1-1) was picked to finish in fifth place in the Atlantic 10 Conference Preseason Poll. The Spiders finished last season with an overall record of 8-10-2 under longtime head coach Peter Albright who entered his 15th season at the helm of the program this fall. Richmond has ten starters returning from last year’s squad, including its leading scorer from 2009 in sophomore forward Shondel Archer.
Friday’s game will be a challenging to start to a demanding weekend, which culminates in them facing off against No. 14 Maryland on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. For head coach Rob King, this weekend will provide his club with a strong opportunity to face some top competition and for the young players to gain even more experience.
“We're looking forward to this weekend. Richmond is a strong member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and will be a significant challenge for the team,” King said on Thursday. “Maryland is ranked in the top 15 nationally and is a perennial women's soccer power. It will be the first time our freshmen have seen a team at that level and they’ll have an opportunity to learn on their feet.”
Live coverage of both matches will be available on CBS Sportsline Game Tracker.
