KENNESAW STATE VS USC UPSTATE
MATCH 17 | OCTOBER 24, 2014
KENNESAW, Ga. | FIFTH THIRD BANK STADIUM (8,300)
 
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | PROMOTIONS | TWITTER
 
THE MATCH:
Kennesaw State will conclude its 2014 regular season on Friday, Oct. 24 as the Owls host USC Upstate in an Atlantic Sun Conference match-up at 7 p.m. ET in Fifth Third Bank Stadium. Friday night will also serve as Senior Night 2014 as KSU will honor seniors Nicole Calder, Alma Gardarsdottir, Iyani Hughes and Julia Nelson, as well as undergraduate assistant coach Heather Joyce and former Owl Jewelia Strickland prior to the start of the match.
 
Friday's match will be featured on ASun.TV, with live stats also available via KSUOwls.com.
 
THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com at the start of Friday's match.
LIVE VIDEO: A live video broadcast will be available at the start of Friday's match via KSUOwls.com with Nathan McCreary calling all the action from Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State women's soccer team on Twitter @KSUOwlsSoccer to receive updates throughout the match.
 
THE OPPONENT:
USC Upstate
The Spartans enter Friday's regular season finale coming off of a 2-1 win over Francis Marion in nonconference action on Tuesday to break a six-match winless streak. It was the third win of the season for Upstate, who owns a 3-12-1 overall mark in 2014. In league play, the Spartans are 0-5-1, with their lone tie coming in a 1-1 double-overtime tie against Northern Kentucky at home in County University Stadium. Upstate is led by Kenzie Major with 15 points on seven goals and an assist. Ellen Bright has played the majority of minutes in goal for the Spartans and owns a 1.88 goals-against average after letting in 28 goals in 1,343 minutes.
 
THE SERIES:
The Owls own a 10-0-0 record in the all-time series with the Spartans, taking a 3-1 win over Upstate in the teams' only meeting last season on Oct. 4, 2013 at County University Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. Former Owl Katrina Frost had a hand in all three goals for the Owls, putting away two scores while also assisting on sophomore Monica Herrera's first career goal.  
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Kennesaw State soccer team suffered a 1-0 setback to Northern Kentucky on a cold and rainy Saturday night (Oct. 18) at NKU Stadium. The Owls (5-10-1, 2-4) controlled much of the possession throughout the match and held an 8-4 advantage in shots at halftime after keeping NKU (6-7-3, 2-3-1) on the defensive throughout the first 45 minutes of play. Out of intermission, KSU continued to hold the ball, but could not find the back of the net. The Norse would break the scoreless tie with just over 15 minute remaining in the match as Jessica Frey headed the ball into the upper right corner of the goal off a corner kick from Sami Rutowski in the 74th minute. The Owls outshot the Norse, 15-7, including a 5-1 mark in shots on goal as sophomores Maggie Gaughan and Shannon Driscoll led the offense with three shots each.
 
NEXT UP:
Kennesaw State will await its fate following Friday's regular season finale for the 2014 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. Along with the Owls' match on Friday, Jacksonville plays at North Florida and Northern Kentucky travels to Lipscomb. On Saturday night Stetson plays at Florida Gulf Coast in the A-Sun regular season finale. Following the results of the final four matches of conference play, the six-team conference tournament bracket will be finalized, with FGCU having already clinched the No. 1 position and Lipscomb, UNF and JU all having solidified their spots in the tournament.
 
NEWS AND NOTES:
Attendance Leaders
KSU leads the Atlantic Sun Conference in attendance, with over 3,660 fans having come watch the Owls play at Fifth Third Bank Stadium and is averaging 610 fans per home contest this season.
 
Shots in League Play
The Owls rank fourth in the A-Sun in shots during league play and are averaging 14.33 shots per conference match.
 
Gaughan Leading the Way
Sophomore Maggie Gaughan leads the Owls with 10 points on five goals this season. She sits in a tie for sixth in goals (five), while also ranking in the top 10 in points (10, t-ninth), points per game (0.67 points/game, 10th), goals per game (0.33 goals/game, seventh) and game-winning goals (t-fifth, two).
 
Sandtroeen on the Offensive
Freshman Marit Sandtroeen sits right behind Gaughan with seven points on three goals and an assist in her freshman campaign. In conference action, Sandtroeen leads the Owls with three points on a goal and an assist.
 
Nelson in A-Sun Action
In conference action, senior Julia Nelson ranks eighth in shots with 15 in six A-Sun matches, while also sitting ninth with an average of 2.50 shots per league contest.
 
Reed Firing Away
Redshirt-sophomore Brittney Reed leads the team and ranks 10th in the A-Sun with 32 shots on the season and is averaging 2.13 shots per game, which sits seventh in the league in that category. In A-Sun play, Reed is averaging 2.67 shots per match, which ranks in a tie for seventh in that category.
 
Sturdivant in Net
Sophomore Olivia Sturdivant sits fifth in the conference with a 1.53 goals against average and has made 37 saves on the year. In A-Sun matches, Sturdivant has lowered her goals-against average to 1.33 and owns six saves in 270 league minutes.
 
Calder Named Senior CLASS Award Candidate
On Sept. 2, senior Nicole Calder was named as one of 30 candidates for the 2014 women's soccer Senior CLASS Award. The list is comprised of 30 NCAA Division I seniors who have notable achievements in four areas – community, classroom, character and competition. The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, before the winner is announced during the 2014 Women's College Cup in December.
 
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State soccer news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsSoccer or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
 
Fans are reminded that admission to all 2014 home soccer contests is free throughout the year.
 
Fifth Third Bank is the Official Bank of Kennesaw State Athletics. Fifth Third Bank Stadium is the home of women's soccer, women's lacrosse and football, which will play its inaugural season in 2015.