Saturday, March 16
12:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State (2-4) vs Liberty (6-2)
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Notes: KSU 
VIP Day Details 

The Opening Draw
» The Kennesaw State women's lacrosse team welcomes Liberty to Fifth Third Bank Stadium for VIP Day Saturday, hosting the Flames for the first time in program history.
» The Owls are one of the top scoring teams in the league this year, ranked second for both total goals (83) and goals per game (13.8). Three Owls rank among the conference's top-5 for goals scored with Siena Gore leading the league with 25 followed by Izzy Palermo and Abby Squires in a tie for fifth with 12 each.
» Siena Gore got back into the groove against New Hampshire, netting four goals to mark her fourth game this season with four or more goals scored. Gore leads the league and ranks 16th in the NCAA for total goals while her 4.17 goals per game average stands at eighth in the country.
» Marissa Gore logged her fifth straight game with at least five draw controls, tying her career-high, set in the previous game against St. Bonaventure, with eight against New Hampshire. Gore is currently ranked third in the ASUN with 32 draw controls, just ahead of her sister Siena who sits in fourth with 24.
» The Owls remain dominant from the eight meter arc this year after finishing 6-of-11 in free position shots against UNH. KSU is currently shooting 66.7 percent from the hash to lead the nation. Only one other team, Longwood, is currently shooting over 60 percent. The Owls' 28 free position goals on the year is tied for fifth most in the NCAA.
» Senior Alex Bunn leads the ASUN with 67 saves so far this season, having recorded 10 or more in all but one game. Her current 42.1 save percentage ranks third in the league. Following her 13 saves in KSU's last outing, Bunn became the first Owl in program history to record over 200 career saves with 207.
» Nine Owls are currently shooting 50 percent or better so far this season, led by Emily Napierala shooting 75 percent with six goals on eight shots. As a team, KSU is shooting 51.2 percent to rank fifth in the NCAA. Only seven teams in the country are currently shooting 50 percent or better.

Scouting The Flames
Liberty enters its first ever ASUN showdown Saturday with a 6-2 overall record. The Flames are riding a two-game winning streak entering the conference-opener, with their only losses coming against Richmond and No. 20 Notre Dame.

Led by Carly White with 19, the Flames have five players with at least 12 goals scored on the year. White leads the league with 29 points, having recorded 19 goals and 10 assists, the only player in the ASUN with double-digit goals and assists.

Defensively, Liberty has shut down opposing teams allowing an average of 7.88 goals per game to rank eighth in the NCAA. Senior Brianna McCaffrey leads the defensive effort with 25 caused turnovers averaging 3.13 per game to rank third in the country. As a team, the Flames are second in the NCAA averaging 16 caused turnovers per game.

A Tale Of Two Sisters
Sophomore twins Siena and Marissa Gore have been a force to be reckoned with since joining KSU last season, and have continued to elevate their game during their sophomore seasons.

Siena Gore picked up right where she left off after a record-breaking freshman season with 25 goals so far this year. She is currently the only player in the ASUN with over 20 goals scored, sitting at 16th in the NCAA for total goals, while ranking eighth with a 4.17 goals per game average.

Gore has recorded four or more goals in four games this year, while going 14-of-20 on free position shots. She needs only five more goals to become the fourth Owl in KSU history to record 100 career goals.

Siena and Marissa are two of the four players in the ASUN with at least 20 draw controls on the year, ranking fourth and third, respectively. Although just a sophomore, Siena Gore is already second on the KSU all-time career draw controls list with 143, one of three Owls with over 100 draw controls, while Marissa has jumped into 10th with 45.

Marissa Gore has been a huge presence in the midfield for KSU, leading the team in caused turnovers (11) and draw controls (32). She set a single-game career-high with four ground balls in KSU's season-opener at Arizona State, following it up with a career-high four caused turnovers at Vanderbilt, a mark that is tied for third in KSU single-game history.

Marissa Gore's 11 caused turnovers is tied for fourth in the conference. Gore also ranks among the league's top-10 for draw controls (3rd) having logged at least five in five straight games including a career-high eight in back-to-back games.

Over the past two games, Marissa has netted five goals, recording a career-high three against St. Bonaventure, and four assists.

Eight-Meters Out
The Owls have been deadly from the eight-meter arc this season, converting 28-of-42 free position attempts. KSU's 28 free position goals is currently tied for fifth in the NCAA, while the Owls' 66.7 free position shooting percentage leads the nation. The Owls are one of two teams in the country shooting over 60 percent.

Against Marquette, KSU recorded eight free position goals, finishing 8-of-10, which is tied for third all-time in a single-game.

Siena Gore has netted 14 of her 25 goals this season off free position attempts which ranks first in the league. She is currently tied for second in the NCAA for total free position goals and free position goals per game, averaging 2.3 per game. Her 14 goals is already tied for third in a single-season at KSU.

Gore currently holds the KSU career record for free-position goals with 47, 20 more than the next closest Owl.

Izzy Palermo, Anna Giulitto and Marissa Gore have all scored at least three goals from the eight-meter hash with freshman Jaxsyn Schonewille and senior Haley Swift a perfect 1-for-1 on free position shots. In total, seven Owls have scored at least one free position goal this year.

With three goals scored, Giulitto has secured sole possession of eighth place on the all-time free position goals scored list with 15. Palermo has now moved ahead of Taylor McGhee for fourth with 26 career free position goals.

Offensive Explosion
The KSU attack is one of the most prominent in the league, averaging 13.8 goals per game to rank second in the ASUN.

Three Owls rank among the league's top-10 for goals scored with Siena Gore leading the conference with 25 goals followed by Izzy Palermo and Abby Squires in a tie for fifth with 12 goals each. 

The Owls are one of the most accurate shooting teams in the nation leading the ASUN and ranked fifth in the NCAA with a 51.2 shooting percentage. Only seven teams in the country are currently shooting over 50 percent on the year.

Nine Owls are currently shooting 50 percent or better on the year, led by Emily Napierala who has scored six goals on eight shots for a 75.0 shooting percentage.

If the Owls can maintain their current shooting percentage it would mark the first time in program history KSU shot over 50 percent as a team in a single-season.

Bunn-believable
Senior Alex Bunn put the ASUN on notice in her first game back between the pipes, fending off a potent Arizona State offense to break the KSU single-game record with 17 saves. Since then she has yet to slow down recording double-digit saves in five games this season.

Her 67 saves on the year leads the league and ranks 19th in the NCAA. Bunn's current 11.1 saves per game average is good enough for ninth in the nation. If maintained, it would mark the first time in KSU history a keeper averaged more than nine saves per game in a single-season.

With 13 saves in KSU's recent game against New Hampshire, the Roswell, Ga., native became the first Owl in KSU history to record over 200 career saves with 207 saves and counting over her three seasons.

Dropping Dimes
Haley Swift, Emily Napierala and Anna Giulitto have been key distributors for the Owls so far this year with all three ranked among the league's top-10 for assists. Swift ranks tied for fourth in the ASUN with eight assists, followed by Napierala in sixth and Giulitto in a tie for seventh.

In her first full game back after suffering an injury in KSU's season-opener at Arizona State, Swift led the way for the Owl attack with four assists against St. Bonaventure. She has logged at least two assists in three of her four appearances this year, passing Sydney Farwick for second all-time at KSU with 55 career assists. She needs just two more to set the KSU career record.

As a team, KSU is third in the conference with 29 total assists.

1...2...3...Draw!
KSU's current 14.67 draw controls per game average leads the ASUN and ranks 23rd in the NCAA.

Marissa and Siena Gore rank third and fourth, respectively, in the league with 32 and 24 draw controls each.

While Siena Gore is firmly locked in second on the all-time career draw controls record list, needing 69 more to set a new career record, Marissa has jumped on to the all-time list, sitting in 10th with 45 career draw controls.

Currently ranked eighth in the league with 14 draw controls, Abby Squires has begun her climb towards the top of the career record list. Squires entered the year in eighth with 53 career draw controls and has since moved up to fourth place during the opening portion of the season. 

Next Up
Following Saturday's ASUN-opener, the Owls hit the road to take on in-state rivals Mercer Tuesday (Mar. 19) at 5 p.m.
 

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