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LIVE STATS |
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LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State lacrosse team plays its debut home game when it hosts Coastal Carolina at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on Saturday (Mar. 2) beginning at 1 p.m. (ET). The Owls, who are in their inaugural season, are seeking the program’s first-ever win.
The first 500 fans entering the stadium will receive a free lacrosse stick.
Kennesaw State played its inaugural game at Vanderbilt on Feb. 10, and fell 22-4 to the Commodores in Nashville, Tenn. The Owls are coming off a 20-2 loss at Davidson on Monday (Feb. 25).
LIVE COVERAGE: A live video stream of Saturday’s Kennesaw State-Coastal Carolina contest will be available at A-Sun.TV. Live audio and live stats also will be available at www.ksuowls.com.
SERIES VERSUS COASTAL CAROLINA: Saturday’s game marks the first-ever meeting between Kennesaw State and Coastal Carolina.
A LOOK AT COASTAL CAROLINA: Coastal Carolina enters Saturday’s contest with a 0-4 record after opening the season with four straight home games. The Chanticleers are coming off a 14-7 setback to St. Bonaventure on Wednesday (Feb. 27). The 2013 campaign marks the inaugural season of women’s lacrosse at Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers are one of eight first-year programs introduced in 2013. Freshmen Keri White (eight goals, two assists) and Charlotte O’Leary (seven goals, three assists) lead Coastal Carolina with 10 points apiece. Head coach Jamie Sellers was named head coach on Aug. 9, 2011, after serving three years as an assistant at Stanford University.
OWLS TO PLAY FIRST-EVER HOME GAME: The Owls are set to once again make history when they host Coastal Carolina in the program’s first-ever home game on Saturday (Mar. 2) at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
LAST TIME OUT: An improved defensive effort, and back-to-back goals by Arielle Schmidt (Marietta, Ga. / Sprayberry HS) and Taylor Southerland (Acworth, Ga. / Harrison HS), were not enough as Kennesaw State (0-3) fell to Davidson College (1-1), 20-2, Monday night at Richardson Stadium. Despite the loss, the Owls squad gave the best performance of the season thus far, limiting quick goals, and transitioning well throughout the duration of the game. Down 11-0 at the break, KSU came out strong to start the second half. A quick Davidson foul led to a free position for Schmidt who shot the ball into the back of the net putting the Owls on the board less than two minutes into the period. Southerland scored the Owls’ second goal less than two minutes later following an assist from Emily Collins. The momentum the Owls’ attack provided was short lived, however, as Davidson countered with two quick goals to increase its lead to 13-2.
FRESHMAN MIDFIELDERS MAKING AN IMPACT - Three games into their collegiate careers, freshmen Senneca Ward and Taylor Southerland are establishing themselves as team leaders and offensive threats. Ward began her career by scoring the first goal in Kennesaw State history at Vanderbilt on Feb. 10. She then added another goal against the Commodores, and followed that performance with another two-goal showing at Campbell on Saturday (Feb. 23). Southerland has scored a goal in all three games the Owls have played this season, and added the first assist in program history against Campbell (Feb. 23).
SOUTHERN PIONEERS: Kennesaw State made additional history when it played its inaugural game at Vanderbilt on Feb. 10. The Owls became the first Division I women’s lacrosse program in the state of Georgia.
EIGHT NEW PROGRAMS DEBUT IN 2013: Kennesaw State is one eight Division I institutions that is beginning its first season of women’s lacrosse in 2013. The seven other programs include Campbell, Coastal Carolina, Delaware State, Marquette, USC, Stetson and Winthrop. Four of those teams (Campbell, Coastal Carolina, Stetson and Winthrop) are on the Owls’ schedule this year. The following is a list of the new programs along with their head coach, conference affiliation and 2013 record.
A-SUN CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT: Kennesaw State will be competing in the Atlantic Sun Conference, which is sponsoring women’s lacrosse for the first year. The league is comprised of Detroit, Howard, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State and Stetson. The A-Sun Conference will host a four-team championship tournament with the winner advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The A-Sun Tournament is scheduled for April 26-28 in Jacksonville, Fla.
NCAA TOURNAMENT: Accommodating the impressive growth of the sport on a national level, the NCAA has expanded the lacrosse tournament field from 16 to 26 teams in 2013. All 13 conference champions will receive automatic bids while 13 additional teams will earn at-large selections. The top eight teams will be seeded in the bracket and host first- and second-round games. The top six seeded teams receive byes into the second round and serve as hosts for a neutral-site first-round game. The first-round winners then play at the top six seeded teams. Seventh and eighth-seeded teams also will host, but will play a first-round game. The national quarterfinals are scheduled for May 18 or 19, with the four winners advancing to the finals May 24-26 in Villanova, Pa.
LLANES SIGNS 12 DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD: While preparing for the inaugural 2013 season, Llanes also has been out on the recruiting trail in an effort to lay the foundation for the future. The time on the road proved to be successful as she signed 12 players during November’s early signing period. The group will help comprise the 2014 Owls team includes: Madison Christian (Attack/Midfielder; Serverna Park, Md.; Serverna Park HS), Samantha Farwick (Attack; Columbus, Ohio; Upper Arlington HS), Sydney Farwick (Midfielder, Attack; Columbus, Ohio; Upper Arlington HS), Olivia Hokanson (Attack; Crofton, Md.; South River HS), Taylor McGhee (Midfield; Marietta, Ga.; Sprayberry HS), Maci Murdock (Goalie; Powder Springs, Ga.; Hillgrove HS), Megan Nicholetti (Attack; Cumming, Ga.; North Forsyth HS), Katherine Ocheda (Defense; Perry Hall, Md.; Institute of Notre Dame), Haley O’Donoghue (Attack; North Tustin, Calif.; Foothill HS), Lyndsay Parris (Midfield; Grayson, Ga.; Grayson HS), Adrianna Smith (Midfield/Attack; Lebanon, Ohio; Lebanon HS) and Megan Tobias (Defense; Abingdon, Md.; Mercy HS).
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate during the 2012-13 academic year.
