Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML) | Photo Gallery

KENNESAW, Ga. – After a rocky first half, the Kennesaw State women's lacrosse team clawed its way back into the game with a second half push before ultimately falling just short to drop its ASUN-opener to Liberty 16-12 Saturday afternoon.
 
How it happened: Liberty (7-2) took control right from the onset, jumping out to a 5-0 lead just six minutes into the game. Abby Squires finally halted the run with the Owls (2-5) first goal of the game, followed less than 30 seconds later by a goal from Emily Napierala to make it 5-2 at the 23:13 mark.
 
Following the flurry of goals, the two teams buckled down in an aggressive back-and-forth half that saw 29 total turnovers, 30 ground balls and 23 fouls. After the two squads traded goals midway through the period, with Siena Gore netting her first of the game, the Flames pulled away with a 4-0 run to lead 10-3 with 3:24 left in the first half.
 
Gore pulled one back for KSU before the half came to an end with a goal at the 1:24 mark to make it 10-4 heading into the locker room.
 
Gore kept that momentum going in the second half, taking the opening draw control right to the Flames' keeper to earn her second straight hat trick not 10 seconds into the period. Liberty responded with a goal of its own a few minutes later before Haley Swift converted a free position shot to keep the Owls within five, 11-6, at the 27-minute mark. 
 
After another Liberty goal, Jennifer Buckley netted back-to-back goals to spark a 3-0 run for KSU to pull within three, 12-9, following a free position goal from Anna Giulitto. The Flames regained their cushion with back-to-back goals, but a 3-1 run featuring two goals from Gore and one from Izzy Palermo got the Owls right back into it, 15-12, with three minutes left to play.
 
KSU looked to keep the comeback rolling, but there was not enough time left as the Flames' rode the clock out, clinging to their lead and netting a last second free-position goal to record the win.
 
Notes: Siena Gore recorded five goals in the game, her second straight game and fifth overall with four or more goals … Jennifer Buckley logged her second straight game with a career-high two goals … Marissa Gore had her third straight game with two assists … Maura Palandro and Marissa Gore each recorded four ground balls while Siena Gore logged five, all season-high marks … as a team, KSU finished with a season-high 24 ground balls … in only her second appearance this season, Samantha Lecaroz, along with Emily Napierala, recorded a career-high two caused turnovers … the Owls held a 17-13 advantage in draw controls thanks to eight from Siena Gore and six from Marissa … Alex Bunn had her second straight game, sixth of the season, with double-digit saves finishing with 14 … after going 1-of-3 from the eight-meter arc in the first half, KSU converted 4-of-6 free-position attempts in the second period to finish 5-of-9 … KSU logged a season-low 10 good clearances, finishing 10-of-21 on clearance attempts … the Owls 33 turnovers marked the most in a single-game in KSU history. 
 
Quotes: Head Coach Laura Maness
On the team's performance…
"I was really happy with our fight for the whole 60 minutes. The girls turned it around and played a much better game in the second half to bring us back into it, we just need to come out stronger in the beginning of the game. That was one of the most aggressive teams we'll see all season and they played us very tight across the field. Credit to our girls for staying strong against their defensive pressure and adjusting on the fly for a much more even second half."
 
Up next: The Owls will shake this one off quickly as they travel to Macon Tuesday night to take on in-state rivals Mercer at 5 p.m.