NO. 6 KENNESAW STATE VS NO. 2 LIPSCOMB
MATCH 19 | NOVEMBER 7, 2014
FORT MYERS, Fla. | FGCU SOCCER COMPLEX
 
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | A-SUN TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | A-SUN TOURNAMENT BRACKET | TWITTER
 
THE MATCH:
After a breakout performance in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament last weekend, the Kennesaw State soccer team continues play in the tournament with a semifinal matchup against No. 2 seed Lipscomb on Friday, Nov. 7 in Fort Myers, Fla. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. ET at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
 
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.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State women's soccer team on Twitter @KSUOwlsSoccer to receive updates throughout the match.
 
THE OPPONENT:
Lipscomb
The Bisons come into the 2014 A-Sun Conference Tournament semifinals as the No. 2 seed and had a bye in the opening week of the tournament last weekend. The Bisons finished the conference schedule with a 4-2-1 mark and posted an overall record of 10-6-2. Lipscomb wrapped up the regular season by splitting its final four matches, including a 2-0 loss to Northern Kentucky in its final regular season finale on Oct. 24. Anna Laill leads the Lipscomb offense with 13 points on five goals and three assists, while Ellen Lundy sits right behind her with 12 points on five goals and two assists. A-Sun Goalkeeper of the Year Anna Buhigas is in goal for the Bisons and owns an 0.78 goals-against average, 14 goals against and 71 saves on the year. 
 
THE SERIES:
The Owls own a 9-2-0 advantage in their all-time series with the Bisons, but fell in the regular season matchup, 3-0, in both teams' 2014 conference opener on Saturday, Sept. 27 in Nashville, Tenn. The Owls took both meetings between the two programs a season ago, as goals from sophomore Shannon Driscoll and senior Nicole Calder sent KSU to a 2-1 win in the regular season meeting. Driscoll would again come up big in the teams' conference tournament first-round meeting to propel the Owls to a 1-0 win and the A-Sun Tournament semifinals. It was the first meeting between the two schools in A-Sun Conference Tournament history.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
The Kennesaw State soccer team combined an offensive outburst with a complete team effort to send the sixth-seeded Owls to a 5-0 victory over third-seeded Jacksonville in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament on Friday night (Oct. 31) at Southern Oak Stadium. With the win, the Owls advance to their second-consecutive A-Sun Conference Tournament semifinals. KSU struck fast as senior Alma Gardarsdottir scored her second goal of the season in just the second minute of the match on a header off of cross from freshman Marit Sandtroeen on the right side of the field. Redshirt-sophomore Danielle Gray made it 2-0 with less than a minute before halftime, before adding a penalty kick score in the second half. Freshman Khatra Mahdi and Julia Nelson also registered second-half scores in the final two minutes of the match to cement the blow out.
 
NEXT UP:
The winner of the Kennesaw State-Lipscomb semifinal match will advance to the final of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament and will face the winner of top-seeded Florida Gulf Coast and fifth-seeded Northern Kentucky, who will do battle following the Owls' match at 7 p.m. The A-Sun Championship match is set for Sunday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. in the FGCU Soccer Complex.
 
NEWS AND NOTES:
Owls in the A-Sun Tournament
With the win, the Owls improve their tournament record to 6-4-2 and are 1-0-0 as the sixth seed.
 
KSU in the A-Sun Semifinals
The Owls will be making their seventh appearance in the A-Sun Conference Tournament semifinals and own a 2-3-1 all-time record in the semifinal stage. In both semifinal victories, KSU went on to win the tournament championship - earning the A-Sun Tournament Championship in 2009 and 2007.
 
Post-Season Honors
A quartet of Owls earned all-conference honors when the A-Sun released its annual postseason awards list as redshirt-sophomore Brittney Reed was named to the All-Atlantic Sun First-Team, sophomore Maggie Gaughan earned all-conference second-team  accolades and freshman Abby Roth was selected to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team on Thursday. Redshirt-Sophomore Danielle Gray was also named to the A-Sun Academic All-Conference Team.
 
Offense Comes Alive
The Owls scored five goals in a match for the first time this season and the first time since recording nine goals in a 9-0 rout of Alabama A&M on Aug. 19, 2012. KSU's previous season high was four goals in a 4-2 win over Samford on Sept. 21, 2014.
 
Last Five Matches
In the last five contests, the Owls have outshot their opponents 88-44, including a 35-9 mark in shots on frame. Defensively, the KSU backline and goalkeepers Olivia Sturdivant and Mady Carter have combined for a 0.40 goals-against average in the past five matches.
 
Sturdivant Shutouts
Sturdivant has registered back-to-back shutouts and now owns 3.1 shutouts this season and 10.1 shutouts in her career, which ranks third all-time in the KSU record book. She needs one more shutout to tie Jessica Marek for second-most shutouts at KSU.
 
Gray Raking in the Accolades
Redshirt-sophomore Danielle Gray has excelled on the field and off, as she was named to the A-Sun Academic All-Conference Team as well as the Capital One Academic All-District Team last week. Gray was also selected for the College Soccer 360 Primetime Performers Honor Roll on Tuesday.
 
Mahdi's Career Night
Freshman Khatra Mahdi had a career night against Jacksonville on Friday, recording both her first career goal and first career assist in the Owls' 5-0 blowout win.
 
Career Games Played
Redshirt-senior Alma Gardarsdottir has saved her best for last as the Grindavik, Iceland native scored her first two goals of the season as game winners in KSU's last two contests. In her career, Gardarsdottir ranks second in program history with 76 games played in her five years as an Owl.
 
Point Leader
Sophomore Maggie Gaughan leads the Owls with 11 points on five goals and one assist this season. She ranks in a tie for sixth in goals in the conference and is eighth in the league in goals per game (0.29).
 
Reed Taking Aim
Redshirt-sophomore Brittney Reed paces the team and ranks ninth in the A-Sun with 38 shots on the season. She is averaging 2.24 shots per game, which sits seventh in that category in the conference.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.