Friday, March 29
4:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State (2-6, 0-1) vs Central Michigan (3-5)
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Sunday, March 31
12:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State (2-6, 0-1) vs Detroit (3-5)
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Notes: KSU 

The Opening Draw
» The Kennesaw State women's lacrosse team looks to get back on the plus-side with a weekend homestand against Central Michigan and Detroit this Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Owls square off with the Chippewas this Friday at 4 p.m. before hosting Detroit for Camper Reunion Day Sunday at 12 p.m. with a postgame clinic for all youth players immediately following the game.
» The Owls have had nearly two weeks to rest and regroup after dropping their most recent contest at Mercer last Tuesday (Mar. 19). Despite the loss, KSU is still one of the top scoring teams in the ASUN, averaging 13 goals per game to rank fourth, less than half a goal behind the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the league.
» Siena Gore is the driving force behind KSU's scoring production with three or more goals scored in six games this year. Gore leads the league and ranks 22nd in the NCAA for total goals while her four goals per game average stands at sixth in the country.
» The Owls went 1-for-9 on free position attempts at Mercer, the fewest free position goals scored since going 1-of-3 at Duke in March of last season. On the year, KSU is shooting 56.7 percent from eight meters out to rank third in the NCAA. Only nine teams this year are currently shooting above 50 percent for free position attempts.
» Maura Palandro logged her second straight game, fourth of the season, with over three ground balls in the Owls' last game. Palandro is tied with Siena Gore for 10th in the league with 19 total ground balls on the year. The junior defender needs just three more ground balls to become the third Owl in history to record over 100 career ground balls.
» Marissa Gore currently ranks second in the conference with 43 total draw controls after recording her seventh straight game with five or more. Her 43 draw controls already ranks sixth in KSU single-season history. As a team, the Owls lead the league and rank 14th in the nation averaging 15 draw controls per game. Siena Gore and Abby Squires currently rank fourth and 10th in the league with 38 and 18 draw controls, respectively.

The Weekend Scout
The Chippewas are first on KSU's docket this weekend, traveling to Kennesaw for only the second time in program history Friday afternoon. CMU is 3-5 on the year after snapping a four-game losing streak in its last outing against Marquette.

After the Owls fell out of the NCAA's top spot for free position shooting percentage, the Chippewas stepped into the lead with a 57.1 percentage on the year. On the opposite end of the field, CMU is ranked ninth in the country with a 51.8 save percentage.

CMU is led by senior midfielder Jocelyne Lemay who ranks third in the SoCon with 21 goals, adding 15 ground balls and a team-high 10 caused turnovers.

Following Friday's matchup with Central Michigan, the Owls welcome Detroit for their Camper Reunion Day Sunday afternoon. The Owls and Titans have squared off every year since KSU lacrosse's inception. In that span, the Owls have defeated Detroit only once, a 21-12 victory during the 2017 season. The Titans narrowly won last season's game, scoring the game-winner with just three minutes left to play to earn an 11-10 win.

Detroit heads into this year's meeting with a 3-5 record and a game at Mercer this Friday still to play. The Titans are under the direction of first year Head Coach Megan Callahan who served as an assistant coach for the past two seasons, playing under Head Coach Laura Maness during her junior and senior seasons at Detroit.

A scrappy team, the Titans are ranked third in the NCAA averaging 25.1 ground balls per game. Senior Allison McDonough leads the country averaging 4.5 ground balls per game. Detroit's duo of Lexie Kinmond and Kaitlyn Wandelt are some of the best in the country. Kinmond has logged 19 goals and 19 assists on the year, ranking 13th in the nation for points per game (4.75) and 14th for assists per game (2.38). Wandelt has dominated the center circle averaging 7.38 draw controls per game to rank eighth in the country while second in the SoCon averaging 1.75 caused turnovers per game.

House Gore
Sophomore twins Siena and Marissa Gore have been dominant all year long, leading the Owls in almost every category.

After a record-breaking freshman season, Siena Gore continues to elevate her game with 32 goals so far this year, recording three or more in six games. Following her five goals against Liberty, she became just the fourth Owl in program history to record over 100 career goals.

Despite nearly two weeks away from the pitch, she is still the only player in the ASUN with over 30 goals scored this year, sitting at 22nd in the NCAA for total goals, while ranking sixth with a four goals per game average.

Siena is one of two Owls with a team-high 19 ground balls, recording five in two straight games. She is tied for 10th in the ASUN for ground balls while ranked fourth for draw controls.

Siena and Marissa are two of the five players in the ASUN with at least 30 draw controls on the year, ranking fourth and second, respectively. Marissa Gore has logged five or more draw controls in seven straight games to lead the league with a 5.38 per game average, ranking 31st in the NCAA.

Marissa Gore has been a huge presence in the midfield for KSU, leading the team in caused turnovers (11) and draw controls (43) 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 currently ranks tied for seventh in the conference.

Marissa has logged at least one assist in four straight games, recording eight goals in that span. She set and tied her career-high with three goals against St. Bonaventure and Mercer.

Eight-Meters Out
Despite going 1-of-9 from the spot at Mercer, the Owls remain one of the deadliest teams in the nation from the eight-meter arc this season. KSU is 34-of-60 on free position attempts with its 34 free position goals currently tied for 11th in the NCAA.

The Owls are shooting 56.7 percent on free position shots to rank third in the nation. The Owls are one of nine teams in the country currently shooting over 50 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 sixth in the league with five, followed by Anna Giulitto in a tie for eighth with four.

Gore is currently ranked second in the NCAA averaging two free position goals 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, eight 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. Emily Napierala and Freshman Jaxsyn Schonewille round out KSU's scoring production with one a piece. 

The Inside Scoop
Maura Palandro and Siena Gore have picked up their fair share of ground balls this season, leading the team with 19 each to rank tied for 10th in the conference.

Palandro has logged at least one ground ball in every game this season, recording three or more in four games. She needs just three more ground balls to become the third Owl in history to record 100 career ground balls.

Dropping Dimes
Haley Swift, Emily Napierala and Marissa Gore have been key distributors for the Owls so far this year. Napierala is tied for sixth in the league with 10 assists, while Swift and Gore are both tied for 11th with eight each.

Napierala has logged at least one assist in all but one game this year.

In her first full game back after sustaining an injury at Arizona State, Swift notched a season-high four assists against St. Bonaventure. She needs just two more to set the KSU career record for assists.

Bunn-believable
Senior Alex Bunn returned to the net in spectacular fashion, breaking the KSU single-game record with 17 saves in the Owls' season-opener. Since then she has yet to slow down recording double-digit saves in all but one game this season.

Her 91 saves on the year ranks second in the league with her current 11.38 saves per game average ranked 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.

Quick Off The Draw
KSU's current 15 draw controls per game average leads the ASUN and ranks 14th in the NCAA.

Marissa and Siena Gore rank second and fourth, respectively, in the league with 43 and 38 draw controls each. Marissa's 43 draw controls currently ranks sixth in KSU single-season history. After recording no draw controls in KSU's season-opener, Marissa has logged at least five in seven straight games.

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 157, one of three Owls with over 100 draw controls, while Marissa has jumped into seventh with 56.

As a team, the Owls have racked up 120 total draw controls to rank second in the league.

Currently tied for 10th in the league with 18 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
After this weekend's matchups, the Owls hit the road for a four-game stretch, opening their road swing at Furman Friday (Apr. 5) at 6 p.m.
 

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