BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF) | VIDEO | A-SUN PHOTO GALLERY
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Despite a valiant team effort from the Kennesaw State soccer team, the 2014 season came to a close for the Owls on Sunday (Nov. 9) as KSU fell to top-seeded Florida Gulf Coast, 3-1, in a cool and rainy Atlantic Sun Conference Championship final at the FGCU Soccer Complex.
 
The Owls finished the 2014 campaign with an 8-11-1 overall record and a 3-4 mark in the A-Sun play, as well as making their first conference tournament final since 2009 and becoming just the second sixth-seed to advance to the championship final.
 
"It is always tough to lose a game like that," said head coach Rob King. "We had been playing coming into the game. I do not think it was our best performance, but we fought very hard. We got ourselves back into the game at 2-1 and we had to keep chasing it to try and get the equalizer there. Obviously gave one up there in the end, but it was a good effort by our team. FGCU obviously has that final experience that we did not have, but I think the experience will be very good for our girls. We had a lot of young ones that made it through to the finals and next time we are here we want to win it."
 
With a steady downpour of rain throughout the first half, the Eagles took an early lead in the 18th minute as Shannen Wacker and Melissa Arnold combined to find Tabby Tindell on a through ball, before the A-Sun Women's Soccer Player of the Year finished past sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Sturdivant to give FGCU a 1-0 advantage.
 
A little over 10 minutes later the Owls had a chance to equalize on a free kick from the half field line as redshirt-sophomore Danielle Gray served in a ball that found sophomore Maggie Gaughan, but Eagle goalkeeper Brittany Brown was there to make the save.
 
Tindell added her second goal of the match with just over six minutes remaining in the first half as the ball skipped through the KSU backline and Tindell ran onto it and chipped it over Sturdivant for a 2-0 lead.
 
It was a tale of two halves as the Owls came out looking to push forward and pressure the Eagles in the second half. KSU would do just that, cutting into the FGCU lead as Gaughan scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season to move the Owls within 2-1 with 18 minutes left in the match. Senior Iyani Hughes collected her first assist of the season as she beat her defender down the left flank, before lofting a cross to Gaughan, who placed the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.
 
With the clock winding down, the Eagles sealed the victory and earned the A-Sun's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship with a Shannen Wacker goal in the 83rd minute on the pass from Tindell.
 
For their efforts throughout the tournament, Gaughan, Hughes and Gray were named to the 11-person Atlantic Sun Women's Soccer Championship Team.
 
The Owls registered seven shots in the match, with Gaughan and redshirt-sophomore Brittney Reed leading the way with two shots each. Senior Julia Nelson and freshmen Marit Sandtroeen and Ashtah Das each added one shot.
 
Sturdivant collected four saves on the day, while Brown recorded three saves for the Eagles.
 
FGCU posted 17 shots in the match, with Tindell firing nine shots to lead the Eagles.
 
With the setback, the Owls say goodbye to five seniors in Nelson, Hughes, Alma Gardarsdottir, Nicole Calder and undergraduate student assistant Heather Joyce.
 
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.