Tuesday, March 19
5:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State (2-5, 0-1) at Mercer (2-5)
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Notes: KSU 

The Opening Draw
» The Kennesaw State women's lacrosse team looks to bounce back and pull out of its current two-game losing skid Tuesday night, traveling to Macon to face in-state rival Mercer at 5 p.m.
» The Owls remain one of the top scoring teams in the ASUN, ranked second for both total goals (95) and goals per game (13.57). KSU's current goals per game average stands at 31st in the NCAA. Three Owls rank among the league's top-10 for goals scored with Siena Gore leading the league with 30 followed by Izzy Palermo and Abby Squires in a tie for seventh with 13 each.
» Siena Gore is the driving force behind KSU's scoring production with five or more goals scored in four games this year. Gore leads the league and ranks 13th in the NCAA for total goals while her 4.29 goals per game average stands at fifth in the country.
» After a slow start in the first half against Liberty, the Owls found their mark from eight meters out, finishing 5-of-9 on free position shots. KSU leads the nation with a 64.7 free position shooting percentage with its 33 total goals tied for fourth in the NCAA.
» Senior Alex Bunn recorded her sixth game of the season with 10 or more saves against Liberty, finishing with 14. Her current 11.57 saves per game average ranks ninth in the country. If maintained, it would mark the first time in program history that a keeper averaged more than nine saves per game in a single-season.
» KSU is one of two teams in the conference to log over 100 draw controls on the year, currently ranked second with 105. Marissa Gore is tied for first in the league with 38 total, having recorded five or more in six straight games. Siena Gore ranks fourth with 32 followed by Abby Squires in a tie for eighth with 15.
» The Owls logged a season-high 24 ground balls in their ASUN-opener against Liberty led by Siena Gore with five and Marissa Gore and Maura Palandro with four each. Palandro leads the team and ranks tied for eighth in the ASUN with 16 ground balls while the Gore sisters are tied for 10th with 14 each.

Scouting The Bears
Mercer welcomes KSU to Macon on a two-game winning streak after starting the year 0-5.

The Bears are one of the top teams in the SoCon on both the offensive and defensive ends of the field. Mercer leads the league averaging 11.2 goals per game while ranked second allowing an average of 13 goals per game. Averaging 11 caused turnovers per game, the Bears rank 25th in the nation.

Senior defender Audrey Robertson tops the SoCon and ranks sixth in the NCAA averaging 2.57 caused turnovers per game. Offensively, Hailey Rhatigan leads the team with 17 goals to go along with five assists followed by Eva Thorn with 10 goals and seven assists. 

A Tale Of Two Sisters
Sophomore twins Siena and Marissa Gore have been a force to be reckoned with since joining KSU last year, 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 30 goals so far this year. After her five goals against Liberty, her fourth game this season with five or more goals, she became just the fourth Owl in program history to record over 100 career goals.

She is currently the only player in the ASUN with 30 goals scored, one of two with 20 or more, sitting at 13th in the NCAA for total goals, while ranking fifth with a 4.29 goals per game average.

Against Liberty, Siena led the team with five ground balls and eight draw controls, both season-high marks.

Siena and Marissa are two of the four players in the ASUN with at least 30 draw controls on the year, ranking fourth and tied for first, respectively. Marissa Gore has logged five or more draw controls in six straight games to lead the league with her 5.43 per game average ranking 28th in the NCAA.

Although just sophomores, Siena and Marissa already rank among the all-time leaders for career draw controls. Siena is second on the KSU all-time career draw controls list with 151, one of three Owls with over 100 draw controls, while Marissa has jumped into ninth with 51.

Marissa Gore has been a huge presence in the midfield for KSU, leading the team in caused turnovers (11) and draw controls (38) while ranked second for ground balls (14). She tied her career-high with four ground balls against Liberty, setting a career-high with four caused turnovers earlier this season at Vanderbilt, a mark that is tied for third in KSU single-game history.

Marissa Gore's 11 caused turnovers ranks sixth in the conference.

Marissa has logged two assists in three straight games, recording five goals in that span, including a career-high three against St. Bonaventure.

Eight-Meters Out
The Owls have been deadly from the eight-meter arc this season, converting 33-of-51 free position attempts. KSU's 33 free position goals is currently tied for fourth in the NCAA, while the Owls' 64.7 free position shooting percentage leads the nation. The Owls are one of two teams in the country currently shooting over 60 percent from the arc.

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 is the only player in the ASUN with over 10 free position goals this year (16). Izzy Palermo is tied for third in the league with five, followed by Anna Giulitto in a tie for seventh with four.

Gore is currently ranked second in the nation for total free position goals and free position goals per game, averaging 2.3 per game. Her 16 goals is already tied for second in a single-season at KSU.

Gore currently holds the KSU career record for free-position goals with 49, 22 more than the next closest Owl.

In total, seven Owls have scored at least one free position goal this year. Palermo, Giulitto and Marissa Gore have all scored at least three goals from the eight-meter hash with Abby Squires and Haley Swift netting two each. Freshman Jaxsyn Schonewille rounds out KSU's scoring production, scoring her first career goal with a rip from the eight-meter arc against St. Bonaventure.

With five goals scored, Palermo has now moved into a tie for second on the all-time list with 27 career free position goals. Giulitto has secured sole possession of eighth place with 16 total goals. 

Offensive Explosion
The KSU attack is one of the most prominent in the league, averaging 13.57 goals per game to rank second in the ASUN and 31st in the NCAA.

Three Owls rank among the league's top-10 for goals scored with Siena Gore leading the conference with 30 goals followed by Izzy Palermo and Abby Squires in a tie for seventh with 13 goals each. 

The Owls are one of the most accurate shooting teams in the nation leading the ASUN and ranked fifth in the country with a 50.8 shooting percentage. Only six teams in the country are currently shooting over 50 percent on the year.

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 all but one game this season.

Her 81 saves on the year ranks second in the league and 16th in the NCAA. Bunn's current 11.57 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 221 saves and counting over her three seasons.

1...2...3...Draw!
KSU is currently averaging 15 draw controls per game to lead the ASUN and rank 18th in the NCAA.

Marissa and Siena Gore rank tied for first and fourth, respectively, in the league with 38 and 32 draw controls each. They are two of four players in the league to record over 30 draw controls so far this season. Marissa's 38 draw controls currently ranks sixth in KSU single-season history.

As a team, the Owls have racked up 105 total draw controls to rank second in the league, one of two teams in the ASUN with over 100 draw controls.

While Siena Gore is firmly locked in second on the all-time career draw controls record list, needing 62 more to set a new career record, Marissa has jumped on to the all-time list, sitting in ninth with 51 career draw controls.

Currently ranked tied for eighth in the league with 15 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
The Owls will get some time off following their midweek showdown, with their next game scheduled for next Friday (Mar. 29) at 4 p.m., hosting Central Michigan.
 

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