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MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Whoever said defenders are not offensive threats did not tell that to
Kelsey Barr (Douglasville, Ga./South Carolina) as the junior defender notched her first two goals of the season to propel the Kennesaw State soccer team past Eastern Kentucky 3-0 on Friday night at the College of Charleston Classic at Patriots Point Complex.
“It was a good game,” said Head Coach
Rob King. “We defended well when we needed to. We didn’t really allow them any good chances and then we took our chances very well. Frosty’s goal was well placed. Kelsey’s first header was very good off of a good service and her second header was a terrific goal. I’m very pleased with our finishing. We were very efficient and again, we did not allow them any good chances in there. It was a good performance and a clean sheet for Mel, so very pleased.”
The Owls (3-3-0) and Colonels (2-3-1) got off to late start after an hour and 45 minute weather delay due to rain and lightning in the area.
Redshirt-sophomore
Katrina Frost (Fayetteville, Ga./South Carolina) opened the scoring against the Colonels in the seventh minute as she received the ball just outside the 18-yard box and spun around her defender. The Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason Player of the Year then took a couple of dribbles and placed a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal.
It was the third goal of the season for Frost and the 14th goal of her career.
Just eight minutes later Barr registered her first goal of the season and her fourth career goal in the 15th minute. Barr sailed above everyone to head the ball past EKU goalkeeper Erika Wolfer and into the back of the goal on a corner kick from redshirt-sophomore
Jewelia Strickland (Fayetteville, Ga./Alabama).
Barr added her second score of the contest in the 74th minute to move the Owls ahead by a score of 3-0. In similar fashion as her first goal, Barr scored off of a Strickland corner kick and maneuvered herself in position to head the ball into the goal.
“It was nice to get more offense going,” said Barr. “Defense stayed strong as usual with the back four working together and was very organized. It was great to score two goals. It is always good to score, but I could not have done it without Jewelia, who put in two great corners. Kudos to her as well.”
“She was the best player tonight, no doubt about it,” King said about Barr’s performance. “She was very solid in there defensively and she covered when she needed to. She attacked the ball defensively and was composed when she needed to be, as well as getting two goals on the other end. A terrific performance, she was superb.”
EKU outshot the Owls 13 to seven, but only had five shots on goal to KSU’s three. Barr, Frost and redshirt-sophomore
Alma Gardarsdottir (Grindavik, Iceland/Fjolbrautaskoli Sudurnesja) led the Owls offense with two shot each. Deja Tennon had three shots for the Colonels.
KSU earned seven corners in the contest, while Eastern Kentucky tallied five.
Senior goalkeeper
Melissa Hutto (Pensacola, Fla./South Alabama) had five saves in the match and tallied her second-consecutive shutout this season. EKU’s Wolfer did not record a save in the contest.
The Owls finish up the 2012 College of Charleston Classic on Sunday, Sept. 9 with a match-up against South Florida at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Kick-off is slated for Noon. There will be live stats and a live blog for the contest via ksuowls.com.
Keep up with Owls soccer this year by following KSU on Twitter at @
KSUOwlNation and @
ksuOWLSsoccer, or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on
Facebook.
