NO. 6 KENNESAW STATE (8-10-1) AT NO. 1 FLORIDA GULF COAST (16-3)
MATCH 20 | NOVEMBER 9, 2014
FORT MYERS, Fla. | FGCU SOCCER COMPLEX
2014 ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL


GAME NOTES | VIDEO PREVIEW | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | A-SUN TOURNAMENT CENTRAL | A-SUN TOURNAMENT BRACKET | TWITTER
 
THE MATCH:
The Kennesaw State soccer team will be making their third appearance in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship final when the sixth seeded Owls meet top seed Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday, Nov. 9 in Fort Myers, Fla. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
 
Sunday's match will be featured on ESPN3.com, with live stats also available via KSUOwls.com.
 
THE COVERAGE:
LIVE STATS: Statistical updates will be available from KSUOwls.com at the start of Sunday's championship match.
LIVE VIDEO: A live video broadcast will be available at the start of Sunday's match via ESPN3.com.
TWITTER: Follow the Kennesaw State women's soccer team on Twitter @KSUOwlsSoccer to receive updates throughout the match.
 
THE OPPONENT:
Florida Gulf Coast
The Eagles enter Sunday's championship final on a 12-match winning streak and were last defeated on Sept. 14 in a 2-0 decision by then-No. 16 South Carolina. FGCU earned its fifth-consecutive regular season league title with a perfect 7-0 record and advanced to the championship final with a 3-1 win over fifth-seeded Northern Kentucky on Friday night. The Eagles are led by A-Sun Conference Player of the Year Tabby Tindell with 43 points (18g, 7a), as well as Shannen Wacker (6g, 14a), Paulina Speckmaier (8g, 5a) and Ally Kasun (4g, 3a). In goal is first-teamer Brittany Brown, who owns a 0.64 goals-against average with 12 goals against and 63 saves on the year.
 
THE SERIES:
The Owls trail in its series with FGCU, 1-5-2, with the Eagles taking the regular season match, 2-1, in overtime on Oct. 5 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. In a hard fought match, FGCU scored in the 18th minute to take a 1-0 lead in the first half. Freshman Marit Sandtroeen provided the equalizer in the 63rd minute for her third career goal as an Owl. Following a shot from redshirt-senior Alma Gardarsdottir that was saved by FGCU goalkeeper Brittany Brown, Sandtroeen collected the rebound and finished into the right side of the goal. With the match tied a 1-1 after 90 minutes of play, the contest went to overtime. Just two minutes into overtime, the Eagles' Ali Rogers netted the game-winner off of a corner kick service from Melissa Arnold to send FGCU to the 2-1 win.
 
LAST TIME OUT:
It was with some dramatics that the sixth-seeded Kennesaw State soccer team advanced to the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship final for the first time since 2009 as a double-overtime goal from freshman Khatra Mahdi propelled the Owls to their third-straight win in a 1-0 victory over second-seeded Lipscomb on Friday night (Nov. 7) at the FGCU Soccer Complex. A penalty kick shootout looked imminent as the clock edged towards the final minutes of the second overtime period, before Mahdi scored her second career goal in the 107th minute of the match. Mahdi, who seconds before had substituted for redshirt-senior Alma Gardarsdottir, received a perfect through ball from senior Julia Nelson and finished into the bottom left corner of the goal for the game winner.
 
NEXT UP:
The winner of the A-Sun Conference Championship final will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. The selection show for the tournament will be held on Monday, Nov. 10 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
 
NEWS AND NOTES:
Owls in the A-Sun Conference Finals
The Owls will be making its third appearance in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship final and advanced to Championship Sunday for the first time since 2009, when KSU defeated Belmont, 2-1, on goals from Jade Dempster and Mayle Attin-Johnson. The Owls also made an appearance in the championship final in 2007, taking the title with a 2-1 advantage over Mercer with goals from Caitlin Dingle and Beth Meadors.
 
Tournament Record
With the win, the Owls improve their tournament record to 7-4-2 and are 2-0-0 as the sixth seed. KSU improved its semifinal record to 3-3-1 with its 1-0 double overtime win over second-seeded Lipscomb on Friday.
 
Sixth Seed History
The Owls became just the second sixth seed to advance to the conference tournament finals after sixth-seeded Mercer advanced to conference championships in 2011, falling to Florida Gulf Coast in double overtime, 1-0.
 
Last Six Matches, Part I
Since the first meeting with the Eagles on Oct. 5, the Owls have outscored their opponents, 8-2, in the last six contests and have outshot their opponents, 105-52, including a 40-12 mark in shots on frame. Redshirt-senior Alma Gardarsdottir, redshirt-sophomore Danielle Gray and freshman Khatra Mahdi have led KSU with five points apiece on two goals and an assist.
 
Last Six Matches, Part II
Defensively, the KSU backline and goalkeepers Olivia Sturdivant and Mady Carter have combined for a 0.32 goals-against average in the past six matches. Sturdivant, who has played 467 minutes of a total 557 in that time frame, has posted a 0.19 goals-against average, allowing only one goals and making nine saves.
 
Sturdivant's Career Shutouts
With her third-straight shutout of the season on Friday night, Sturdivant now owns 4.1 shutouts this season and 11.1 in her career, which ties the Sanford, N.C., native with former Owl Jessica Marek (2005) for second-most career shutouts in program history. Staci Pugh (2006-10) owns the record with 25 shutouts in her career.
 
Most Games Played in Program History
When Gardarsdottir takes the field on Sunday, she will tie Sadjr Williams (2007-10) for the most games played in program history with 78 contests from 2010 to 2014.
 
Gardarsdottir Offensively
Gardarsdottir ranks third on the team with seven points this season, with two goals and a team-leading three assists. Both of her goals this season have gone for game winners - against USC Upstate on Oct. 24 and Jacksonville in the first round of the conference tournament on Oct. 31.
 
Mahdi Coming on Strong
Mahdi has saved her best for last as the Canadian has a career night against Jacksonville on Oct. 31, registering both her first career goal and first career assist in the victory, before scoring the game-winner in the Owls' double-overtime win against Lipscomb in the A-Sun semifinals.
 
Point Leaders
Sophomore Maggie Gaughan leads the Owls with 11 points on five goals and one assist this season, while freshman Marit Sandtroeen follows close behind with eight points on three goals and two assists.
 
A-Sun Postseason Honors
A trio 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, Gaughan earned all-conference second-team accolades and freshman Abby Roth was selected to the A-Sun All-Freshman Team on Thursday.
 
Gray Collecting Accolades
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.
 
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.