Saturday, March 7
12:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State (2-3) vs Winthrop (0-6)
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Notes: KSU

OPENING DRAW
» The Kennesaw State women's lacrosse team looks to learn from its recent battle with Mercer Wednesday and bounce back against Winthrop this Saturday at noon. The Owls won last year's meeting against the Eagles to snap a three-game losing streak.

» Junior Siena Gore recorded her fourth hat trick of the season Wednesday against Mercer. So far this year she has netted 20 goals to make her one of two players in the ASUN to score at least 20 goals. Gore's four goals per game average ranks 12th in the NCAA. She also leads the league with 34 total draw controls, ranking 15th in the country averaging 6.8 draw controls per game.

» The Owls have one of the top attacks in the ASUN currently ranked second in the league averaging 13.2 goals per game. Three Owls, Siena Gore (2nd), Izzy Palermo (T-9th) and Abby Squires (T-9th), rank among the league's top-10 for goals scored with Marissa Gore ranked 11th. KSU's current goals per game average is good enough to place it in the top-50 in the country (41st).

» Emily Napierala had another standout game this past Wednesday dishing out three assists while logging a career-high five ground balls and two caused turnovers. She is one of two players in the conference to log at least 10 assists on the year, currently ranked second with 10. With 46 assists in her career, the Lawrenceville, Ga., native needs just nine more assists to surpass Sydney Farwick (2014-17) for third on the all-time record list.

» KSU is one of the top teams in the country in the center circle ranked 16th in the NCAA averaging 16 draw controls per game. The Owls have racked up 80 total draw controls over their first five games and are one of two teams in the league to record over 50 draw controls. Siena Gore (1st), Marissa Gore (6th) and Izzy Palermo (10th) rank among the league leaders for draw controls with Siena Gore placing 15th in the country averaging 6.8 draw controls per game. 

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Winthrop heads to Fifth Third Bank Stadium looking for its first win of the season after falling to Detroit Mercy Thursday night 11-8. Despite their record, the Eagles have been in a lot of close battles so far this season with five of their six losses decided by five or less goals.

Winthrop is led by sophomore Mia Creighton who has recorded 23 goals on the year to lead the Big South Conference. The Eagles are also one of the top assisting teams in the Big South ranked second with a 5.4 per game average.

SISTER-SISTER
Junior twins Siena and Marissa Gore have been a dominant force for the Owls in just two seasons and are currently two of the top players for KSU this season.

Combining for nearly half of KSU's total goals scored on the year, Siena ranks first on the team with 20 points while Marissa is third with 13 so far this year. Siena has netted 20 goals to rank second in the conference, and 12th in the NCAA for goals per game, while Marissa has scored eight to fall into a tie for 11th.

Marissa has also dished out five assists so far this season to rank tied for seventh in the league.

Racking up 53 draw controls as a duo this season, Siena and Marissa are two of nine players in the league to log at least 15 draw controls on the year. Siena leads the ASUN with 34 draw controls after recording a career-high 11 against Presbyterian while Marissa is sixth with 19.

Originally from Alpharetta, Ga., the two dot the KSU record book already ranking among the top-10 all-time for multiple career marks.

Marissa is currently fifth all-time for career assists while joining sister Siena as one of five players in program history to log over 100 career draw controls.

Siena already holds the KSU career records for goals, draw controls and shots on goal. She needs just 17 more points this year to break the career record.

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
The Owls were one of the top teams in the country last season off the draw, ranking 12th in the NCAA averaging 15.78 draw controls per game. That mark was good enough to rank first on the KSU single season record list along with KSU's 284 total draw controls on the year.

After just five games, the Owls are on pace to surpass that mark, currently ranked 16th in the country averaging 16 draw controls per game. KSU is one of two teams in the ASUN to rack up over 50 draw controls on the year, ranked second with 80 total and a game in hand on Liberty in first.

Siena Gore leads the Owls, and the league, with 34 draw controls followed by Marissa Gore in sixth with 19 and Izzy Palermo in 10th with 14.

Siena Gore's career-high 11 draw controls in KSU's recent game against Presbyterian is the second most ever recorded by an Owl in a single-game. As a team, KSU recorded 24 draw controls against PC, a mark that is tied for third in single-game history.

KSU has come out strong on the draw, out-drawing opponents 46-36 in the first half so far this year.

Both Gores, along with Abby Squires and Izzy Palermo, rank in the top six all-time for career draw controls. Siena Gore is the current record holder with 251, one of two Owls ever to record over 200 career draw controls.

Marissa (128) and Squires (107) are two of five players all-time to record over 100 career draw controls. Palermo needs eight more draw controls this year to crack the century mark.

NAPPING ON THE JOB
Senior attacker Emily Napierala is the top returning distributor for the Owls in 2020, replacing KSU's all-time leading assister Haley Swift who graduated last season. Napierala led the team with 25 assists a year ago to mark just the third time in program history an Owl has recorded over 20 assists in a season.

The Lawrenceville, Ga., native has logged at least one assist in every game this year, recording three assists against Gardner-Webb and Mercer to mark the fifth and sixth times in her career she has logged three or more assists in a game.

She currently leads the team and ranks second in the ASUN with 10 total dimes on the year, one of two players in the league to hit double-figures.

Napierala is one of four Owls all-time to record over 40 assists in her career, needing nine more this season to pass Sydney Farwick (2014-17) for third on the record list.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
The KSU attack has been on a steady increase over the last three seasons, averaging over 12 goals per game each of the last three years. Before the current three-year stretch, KSU never averaged double-digit goals in a season, breaking over nine goals per game only twice (2014 and 2016).

This past season, KSU averaged 13.72 goals per game to rank fourth in the ASUN and 30th in the NCAA. The Owls' 247 total goals on the year tied the program record previously set in 2017. KSU has netted over 200 total goals in each of the past three seasons.

So far this year, the Owls are averaging 13.2 goals per game to rank second in the ASUN. Three Owls, Siena Gore (2nd), Izzy Palermo (T-9th) and Abby Squires (T-9th), rank among the league's top-10 for goals scored with Marissa Gore ranked 11th.

Siena Gore is currently the all-time career leader for goals scored with 158 followed by Palermo in sixth with 84 goals. Palermo needs just 16 more goals this year to become the fifth Owl in program history to hit the century mark for career goals.

Next Up
Following Saturday's game, the Owls close out their seven-game homestand hosting Vermont Wednesday (Mar. 11) at 12:30 p.m.
 

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