Saturday, February 23
1:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State (0-2) vs Marquette (2-2)
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Notes: KSU | Marquette

The Opening Draw
» The Kennesaw State women's lacrosse team will step onto Fifth Third Bank Stadium for the first time this Saturday, squaring off against Marquette in the Owls' home-opener slated for 1 p.m.

» Coming off a phenomenal freshman season, Siena Gore has yet to slow down during her sophomore campaign, netting eight goals throughout KSU's first two games to rank second in the ASUN. Gore is also tied for second in the league with eight draw controls

» Not to be overshadowed, Marissa Gore has been a tremendous defensive presence for the Owls in the early portion of the season, leading the team with seven ground balls and seven caused turnovers. Gore ranks among the top-10 in the league for caused turnovers (2nd), ground balls (T-6th) and draw controls (T-10th). 

» Eight Owls have found the back of the net so far this year with freshmen Chesslyn Lamar and Kelly Emge making their presence felt with one goal each. Juniors Anna Giulitto and Izzy Palermo join Siena Gore as the only Owls to score in each of KSU's games so far this year.

» One of the league's top free position shooting teams a year ago, the Owls continue to shine from the eight-meter arc, going 6-of-8 from the spot throughout the first two games of the year. The Owls lead the nation in free position shooting, scoring on 75 percent of their shot attempts.

» Following her 10 saves at Vanderbilt, senior Alex Bunn moved into second on the all-time career saves list with 167 stops to her name. Bunn is currently averaging 13.5 saves per game to rank second in the ASUN and eighth in the NCAA.

» Two games into the season, the Owls are among the nation's top shooting teams with a 47.4 shooting percentage. That mark is good enough for second in the conference and 23rd in the country.

Scouting The Golden Eagles
The Owls and Golden Eagles square off for the third straight year this Saturday as KSU looks for its first program victory against Marquette.

MU enters the matchup at 2-2 on the year, kicking off a six-game road trip in Kennesaw. Marquette lost its only road game of the year so far, dropping a 22-18 contest at Cincinnati. The Golden Eagles bounced back in a big way defeating Detroit 22-9 in their most recent game.

Veterans Grace Gabriel and Charlotte McGuire lead the scoring charge for Marquette ranking first and second in the Big East for goals scored with nine and eight goals, respectively. Gabriel also ranks third in the NCAA for draw controls per game averaging 9.33.

As a team, the Golden Eagles are big in the center circle averaging 17 draw controls per game to rank 13th in the country.

A Tale Of Two Sisters
Sophomore twins Siena and Marissa Gore have been a force to be reckoned with since joining KSU. After shattering multiple KSU and ASUN single-season scoring records last year, Siena Gore has continued to dominate in the early portion of the 2019 season. Siena ranks second the league with eight goals on the year while ranking 21st in the NCAA averaging four goals per game.

Siena is also the team leader in draw controls, ranking second in the conference with eight on the year. Although just a sophomore, Siena Gore is already second on the KSU all-time career draw controls list with 128, one of three Owls with over 100 draw controls. She is also currently ranked fifth all-time with 78 career goals.

Meanwhile, Marissa Gore has been a tremendous presence in the midfield for KSU, leading the team in both ground balls and caused turnovers over the Owls' first two games. Marissa set a single-game career-high with four ground balls in KSU's season-opener at Arizona State, following it up with career-highs in draw controls (5) and caused turnovers (4) at Vanderbilt, a mark that is tied for third in KSU single-game history.

Marissa Gore's seven caused turnovers ranks second in the conference while her 3.5 caused turnovers per game average stands at 10th in the NCAA. Gore also ranks among the league's top-10 for ground balls (T-6th) and draw controls (T-10th). While at Vandy, Marissa also recorded one goal and one assist.

Eight-Meters Out
Although only making it to the spot twice at Vanderbilt, the Owls buried both attempts to remain one of the top free position shooting teams in the country. KSU is 6-of-8 this year on free position shots, leading the ASUN and the NCAA with a 75 percent conversion rate.

The Owls' six free position goals ranks second in the league behind Liberty's 12.

Siena Gore has netted four of her eight goals this season off free position attempts. Her four goals scored ranks first in the league while her two free position goals per game average ranks fourth in the NCAA.

Gore currently holds the KSU career record for free-position goals with 37, 10 more than the next closest Owl.

Anna Giulitto is the only other Owl to log a free position shot so far this year, going a perfect 2-of-2 from the hash. The Jackson Township, Ohio native is one of 58 players in the nation with a perfect free position shooting percentage.

Following her two goals scored, Giulitto has now moved into a tie for eighth all-time at KSU with 14 free position goals.

Bullseye
The Owls are currently one of the most accurate shooting teams in the ASUN ranked second with a 47.4 shooting percentage. That mark is also good enough for 23rd in the nation.

In KSU's last game at Vanderbilt, the Owls scored six goals off eight shots in the first half.

Siena Gore leads the team with 12 of her 14 shots on goal, the second most shots on goal in the conference. Gore's six shots on goal per game average leads the league and ranks 22nd in the NCAA. So far this year, Gore has a 57.1 shooting percentage which ranks third in the ASUN.

With 29 of its 38 shots this year on goal, KSU is currently ranked third in the conference with a 76.3 shots on goal percentage.

Bunn-believable
Senior Alex Bunn put the ASUN on notice in her first game back between the pipes. Bunn fended off a potent Arizona State offense, breaking the KSU single-game record with 17 saves.

Bunn followed up that performance with 10 saves at Vanderbilt to give her 27 on the year, which ranks third in the league and 17th in the NCAA. Her 13.5 saves per game average is good enough for eighth in the nation.

Following her performance at Vandy, Bunn leapfrogged Elaine Bradley for second on the all-time career saves list with 167, 23 shy of the overall record. She currently holds the KSU single-season record with seven wins during the 2017 campaign, recording 94 total saves, a mark that ranks fifth on the single-season record list.

So far this year, Bunn has held opposing teams to 2-of-5 from free position shots.

1...2...3...Draw!
Kennesaw State has tallied 22 draw controls over its first two games to rank fourth in the league. Three Owls rank among the league's top-10 for draw controls.

Siena Gore is tied for second with eight while Marissa Gore and Abby Squires are both tied for 10th with five draw controls each. While Siena Gore is firmly locked in second on the all-time career draw controls record list for the time being, Squires has begun her climb towards the top.

Squires entered the year in eighth with 53 career draw controls, moving up to sixth place following the first two games of the season.

Maness Enters Third Season
Head Coach Laura Maness looks to continue to elevate the women's lacrosse program in her third season at the helm.

Since taking over in 2017, the Owls have had their best two-year stretch with 15 wins, more than the first four years of the program combined. In 2017, KSU recorded a program-best eight wins.

The rise in KSU's production over the last two seasons is noticeable, recording over 200 goals, 400 ground balls and 200 draw controls in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.

Making A Tournament Run
Kennesaw State was selected to finish fourth in the ASUN Preseason Coaches' Poll behind perennial powerhouses Jacksonville and Coastal Carolina and ASUN newcomer Liberty. Six-time ASUN Tournament champions Jacksonville finished just two points ahead of Coastal Carolina with both teams receiving three first-place votes.

The Owls returned to the ASUN Tournament last season for the first time since 2016, earning the No. 3 overall seed, the best finish in program history. KSU has reached the conference tournament in four of its six seasons, but have yet to record a win.

Next Up
Following Saturday's home-opener, the Owls travel to Winthrop next Saturday (Mar. 2) at 1 p.m. before opening a three-game homestand. 

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