GAME NOTES (PDF) |
LIVE STATS
KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State lacrosse will play its first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference contest this week when it returns to Fifth Third Bank Stadium to host conference-leading Jacksonville on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. (ET). The Owls enter the game 0-6 while the Dolphins are 7-3 on the season.
The contest marks only the second home game this season in seven contests for the Kennesaw State, which made its home debut against Coastal Carolina on Mar. 2 and fell 21-2.
LIVE COVERAGE: Live stats will be available at
www.KSUOwls.com
SERIES VERSUS JACKSONVILLE: Saturday’s game marks the first-ever meeting between Kennesaw State and Jacksonville.
A LOOK AT JACKSONVILLE: Jacksonville enters Saturday’s contest with a 7-3 record following a 24-6 win against Winthorp on Friday (Mar. 22). After spending the first three years of program existence in the National Lacrosse Conference (NLC), the Dolphins moved to the A-Sun Conference in 2013. Head Coach Mindy McCord is in her fourth season at Jacksonville, compiling a record of 44-20 (.456). She helped establish the four-year-old program, and was named Co-NLC Coach of the Year when she led the Dolphins to an 8-11 record in its inaugural season.
LAST TIME OUT: For the first time in program history, the Owls got on the board first, but it was not enough as Kennesaw State fell to Presbyterian 22-5 on Friday night (Mar. 22). Senneca Ward (Peachtree City, Ga. / McIntosh HS), scored the first of her five goals, on a free position three minutes into the game, giving the Owls the quick lead. However, the Blue Hose (2-8) answered back with seven straight goals, quickly putting KSU in a 7-1 hole. Ward contributed all she could by adding three more goals in the first half, but the attack lost momentum when Emily Collins (Snellville, Ga. / Decatur HS) was forced out the game after receiving her second yellow card of the contest. Down 13-4 after the break, KSU was unable to get any offense going in the second half, and was limited to a lone goal from Ward with 30 seconds remaining in the game.
BETH COCHRAN CONTINUES TO PROVIDE SOLID DEFENSE IN THE GOAL: Playing all 360 minutes of action this season, Cochran has proved to be reliable in goal for the Owls. The freshman goalie is currently ranked 11th in the nation in saves per game (8.83), and recently recorded a career-high 13 saves against Winthrop (Mar. 15).
MIDFIELDER EMILY COLLINS HEATING UP OFFENSIVELY: After tallying just two points in the first three games of the season, Collins has turned up her offensive presence on the field contributing 11 points in the past three 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 then 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.
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.
