By: by Scott Lipsky
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. –
Staci Pugh tied a season-high with eight saves, but at the end, the Kennesaw State women’s soccer team was unable to put one in the back of the net, falling to the Jacksonville Dolphins, 1-0, on Friday evening, to hand the Black and Gold their first conference loss of the season at their first-ever A-Sun match at KSU Soccer Stadium.
The Owls (5-4-1, 2-1-0 A-Sun) were playing catch-up most of the evening, as Jacksonville (6-3-2, 2-0-1 A-Sun) took the lead in the 24th minute, when Dolphins sophomore Lisa Hensley strategically re-directed a Becca Massip cross from the right side of the box past a diving Pugh into the left corner of the net to give their A-Sun rivals all the cushion they would need.
Kennesaw State had a golden opportunity to tie things up late in the contest, when the Owls put a good deal of pressure on the Dolphins’ defense inside the box, with
Kristin Kranick getting off a good shot that was saved by Jacksonville goalkeeper Alexa Rooney in the 76th minute. The Owls would retain possession, and
Brittany Vining would get off another close-range shot that was blocked.
For Kranick, who was playing in her first match since going down with an injury in the second match of the year against Alabama A&M on Aug. 22, the loss was disappointing, and she was already thinking about how things could have gone differently and what the squad will need to improve in order to come up with a win on Sunday against North Florida.
"
Kristin Marietta swung a nice ball to me inside the box and once I got control I turned and took a hard shot that the Jacksonville goalkeeper just made a great play on,” said Kranick, referring to her close-call late in the match. “We had a couple more chances in the box after that, but we just couldn't get the ball in the back of the net. I think we really need to improve our mental toughness and come out with more aggression heading into Sunday's match against North Florida.”
The Owls were aggressive offensively, recording 13 total shots, eight of them on goal, with nine different players recording shots, the most head coach
Rob King’s squad has had this season. Freshman forward Alma Gardarsdottir led the way with three total shots, two of them on goal, with Kranick also recording a pair of shots on goal.
"We knew coming in that Jacksonville was a very good squad. When you allow them to play freely, and have time on the ball to find open players, they can hurt you and that is exactly what happened in the first half,” King said. “I thought our effort was better in the second half, but there are a lot of things we need to tidy up heading into Sunday."
This was the first match the two squads played against one another since last season’s A-Sun Tournament semifinals, when the Owls were on the winning end of a 1-0 decision that ended in extra time.
Overall, the Dolphins outshot the Owls, 19-13, and edged them out with nine shots on goals to Kennesaw State’s eight.
The eight saves for Pugh matched the season-high that she originally set during the squad's season-opener at College of Charleston on Aug. 20.
Conference play continues for the Black and Gold on Sunday afternoon, when they take on the North Florida Ospreys at 1 p.m. at KSU Soccer Stadium. The first 1,000 fans to attend Sunday’s match with receive a commemorative KSU Soccer Stadium lapel pin.
