By: Matteen Zibanejadrad
ASUN Tournament Final
Kennesaw State (9-7-2), (4-3-2) at Lipscomb (14-4-1), (7-2-0)
Location: Nashville, Tenn. | Lipscomb Soccer Complex
Date: Saturday, Nov. 6
Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
Live Stats | Watch
The Kennesaw State women's soccer team is heading to the Music City for the ASUN Tournament Final; the matchup is a rematch of the 2019 final against the Lipscomb Bisons.
The Owls defeated Central Arkansas in a 4-3 overtime thriller of a quarterfinal, before beating Bellarmine 1-0 in the semis.
The Bisons beat out Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky on their road to the final, scoring a total of 10 goals and conceding none.
It's Raining Goals
Freshman Macie Rainwater stamped her name in both the Kennesaw State and ASUN history books against Central Arkansas.
The forward from Kennesaw, Ga. netted a hat trick, the first by an Owl since 2016 and the first in an ASUN Championship game since 2010. There have been only four hat tricks in ASUN Championship history.
The All-Freshman selection continued her scoring form against Bellarmine, scoring the decisive goal with a 30-yard screamer into the top-left corner of the Knights' net.
The strike earned her the ASUN Fan-Voted Play of the Week, the first time an Owl has picked up the accolade this season.
A Rivera Runs Through It
Left winger Tianna Rivera scored her first game-winning goal of the season against the Bears, picking the perfect time and place to do so.
Kendall Higgs displayed her playmaking skills once again in the opening minutes of overtime, sending Rivera on a run with a diagonal pass over the top of the UCA back four.
Rivera latched on to the ball, working the ball onto her left foot before blasting an effort past the Central Arkansas keeper for the golden goal.
The thrilling game's winning goal was Rivera's third of the season, and the fourth golden goal by Kennesaw State this campaign.
Decisive Defense
Goalkeeper Dylan Pixton and the back four in front of her kept their third clean sheet of the season in the Owls' 1-0 win against Bellarmine last Sunday.
Head coach Benji Walton has composed the spine of his team around the center back duo of Hayley Dekker and Erin Miller, who have played a combined 3,346 minutes together this season.
While maintaining her reputation as a defensive rock, Miller also boasts two goals in her statline. With her fall 2021 performance, Miller was named in the ASUN All-Conference Second Team.
Scouting Lipscomb
Redshirt sophomore Molly Grant played a pivotal role for head coach Kevin O'Brien throughout the regular season and that hasn't changed in the playoffs.
The forward has four-point games in both the quarterfinal and the semifinal; Grant logged a goal and two assists in the 6-0 win against Jacksonville State and tallied two of the team's four goals against Eastern Kentucky.
Shot stopper CJ Graham was named the ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year and rightfully so, allowing only 10 goals in the team's 19 games.
Next Match
With a win, the Owls will watch what their future holds on the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Selection Show this Monday, Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m. EST on NCAA.com.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State women's soccer news, follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsSoccer or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
