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KENNESAW, Ga. - Home play for the Kennesaw State lacrosse team concludes on Friday (Apr. 12) when the Owls (0-7, 0-1) host Howard (1-12, 0-1) at Fifth Third Band Stadium beginning at 7 p.m.
Kennesaw State, looking to notch its first win in program history, will try to take advantage of a struggling Howard team that has lost its last five contests. Also likely on the line for both teams is a berth in the first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference Championship tournament. The top four teams in the five-team conference will advance to the league tournament that begins April 26 in Jacksonville, Fla.
LIVE COVERAGE: Live audio and video will be available at www.KSUOwls.com. Live stats will also be provided at www.KSUOwls.com.
SERIES VERSUS HOWARD: Friday’s game marks the first-ever meeting between Kennesaw State and Howard.
A LOOK AT HOWARD: Howard enters Friday’s contest with a 1-12 record following a 16-5 loss against Detroit on Sunday (Apr. 7). Head Coach Sarah Schermerhorn is in her first season at Howard, after spending the previous four years leading the women’s lacrosse program at Trinity University.
LAST TIME OUT: Freshman Senneca Ward (Peachtree City, Ga. / McIntosh HS) and junior Emily Collins (Snellville, Ga. / Decatur HS) each scored a goal during the Kennesaw State lacrosse team’s Atlantic Sun Conference opener against Jacksonville March 30 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. The efforts of Ward and Collins, however, were not enough as the Owls (0-7, 0-1) suffered a 22-2 setback to a more experienced Dolphins (8-3, 1-0) team. With a roster of nearly twice as many players in uniform than Kennesaw State, Jacksonville showed its ability early in the contest and eventually built a 16-0 halftime lead. The Owls were finally able to break through at the 10:40 mark of the second half when Ward scored on a free position shot. Collins’ goal came within with just over three minutes remaining, scoring on another free position shot and extending her streak with at least one point to five games.
TEAM CAPTAINS GIVING THEIR ALL: Team captains Taylor Southerland, Kyra Ferguson, and Arielle Schmidt have proven to be team leaders on and off the field. While contributing invaluable leadership for a young Owls team, the trio also is in the top five in several statistical categories, including Southerland providing a team-best 13 assists this season.
BETH COCHRAN CONTINUES TO PROVIDE SOLID DEFENSE IN THE GOAL: Playing all 390 minutes of action this season, Cochran has proved to be a reliable goalie for the Owls this season. The freshman is currently ranked 17th in the nation in saves per game (8.29), 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 2013 season, Collins has turned up her offensive presence on the field by contributing 10 points in the past four 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.
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.
