GAME NOTES |
LIVE STATS |
LIVE VIDEO
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State lacrosse team continues the 2013 season when it travels to Clinton, S.C. to take on the Presbyterian Blue Hose on Friday (Mar. 22) beginning at 6 p.m. (ET).
The contest will mark the fifth road contest in six games for the Owls (0-5), who made their home debut against Coastal Carolina on Mar. 2, and fell 21-12 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
LIVE COVERAGE: Live video will be available at www.bigsouthsports.com. Live stats also will be available at www.gobluehose.com
SERIES VERSUS PRESBYTERIAN: Friday’s game marks the first-ever meeting between Kennesaw State and Presbyterian.
A LOOK AT PRESBYTERIAN: Presbyterian enters Fridays’ contest with a 1-8 record following a 22-6 loss at Cincinnati on Sunday (Mar. 17). A provisional member of Division I since 2006, the women’s lacrosse team is in its debut season with the Big South Conference. Head Coach Julie Redman is in her second year at Presbyterian, compiling a record of 4-24 (.167).
LAST TIME OUT: Junior Emily Collins (Snellville, Ga. / Decatur HS) and freshman Senneca Ward (Peachtree City, Ga. / McIntosh HS) scored three goals apiece to lead the Kennesaw State lacrosse team as it fell 22-8 to Winthrop at Eagle Field on Friday. Collins finished with five points, while Ward recorded four points for the Owls (0-5). With the score tied 1-1, the Eagles (5-4) scored eight of the game’s next 10 goals to build a 9-3 advantage with 10:15 remaining in the first half. Winthrop went on to take a 15-5 halftime lead as it outshot Kennesaw State, 30-12. Winthrop was led by the duo of Sharon Gallagher and Megan Wallenhorst, who totaled 11 and 10 points, respectively. Gallagher had seven goals and three assists, while Wallenhorst contributed six goals and four assists. Kennesaw State also had a productive duo of its own in Collins and Ward. The two combined for six of the Owls’ eight goals, and assisted on three of those scores. Freshmen Kylar Ferguson (Marietta, Ga. / Sprayberry HS) and Taylor Southerland (Acworth, Ga. / Harrison HS) rounded out the scoring for the Owls. Another bright spot for Kennesaw State was the play of freshman goalie Beth Cochran (Marietta, Ga. / Lassiter HS), who faced 43 shots and recorded a career-high 13 saves.
MIDFIELDER EMILY COLLINS HEATING UP OFFENSIVELY: After tallying just two points in the first three games of the 2013 season, Collins has turned up her offensive presence on the field contributing 11 points in the past two games. In the Owls home debut against Coastal Carolina, she scored four goals, marking the first time this season she has had a multi-scoring game. She followed up that performance with a three goal, two assist effort at Winthrop.
SENNECA WARD NAMED A-SUN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Freshman midfielder Senneca Ward became the first Kennesaw State player in program history to be named Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Week when she received the honor on Mar. 4. The Owls’ freshman earned the award after totaling a team single-game record six goals versus Coastal Carolina on Mar. 2.
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).
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Kennesaw State is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
