Saturday, Feb. 27
1:00 p.m. – Kennesaw State (0-0) at Coastal Carolina (2-0)
Links: Live Stats
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Notes: KSU

OPENING DRAW
» After having its 2020 season cut short due to a national pandemic, the Kennesaw State women's lacrosse team is finally back in action opening the 2021 season Saturday at Coastal Carolina. The Owls had over half of their season canceled last year, but still finished 3-4 overall. KSU's 3-4 record marked the second-best start to a season for the Owls since going 5-2 in 2017.

» Siena Gore heads into her senior season looking to continue her dominant play and break the few records she has yet to reach. Gore finished the shortened 2020 campaign ranked 11th in the NCAA for goals per game (4.00), leading the ASUN with 28 total goals. Gore is already the KSU all-time career record holder for goals, shots on goal, draw controls and free-position goals, needing just five more points in 2021 to surpass Sydney Farwick (2014-17) for the all-time career points record.

» As a team, the Owls controlled the center circle in 2020 ranking 15th in the country averaging 15.86 draw controls per game. KSU's 54.1 draw control percentage also ranked 38th in the country and second in the ASUN. Siena Gore led the league with 46 draw controls, ranking 19th in the NCAA avergaing 6.57 draw controls per game. KSU was the only ASUN team to record over 100 draw controls in 2020 (111), ranking among the top three teams in the league for draw controls the last four years.

» The Owl attack has been deadly under Head Coach Laura Maness with KSU averaging over 12 goals per game each of the last four seasons. Before 2017, the Owls best season average was 9.94 goals in 2016. KSU was second in the ASUN last season averaging 13.3 goals per game, tallying 93 total goals. Four Owls, Siena Gore, Marissa Gore, Izzy Palermo and Abby Squires all ranked in the league's top-10 for scoring. KSU returns 65.6 percent of its scoring from last year including league-leader Siena Gore.

» Emily Napierala returns to the field in 2021 to make up for her senior season being cut short last year. She has been the Owls' top assister the past two seasons, totaling 47 total dimes in her career. Napierala currently ranks fourth on the KSU career assists list and needs just three more assists to become the fourth Owl in program history to tally 50 career assists.

SISTER SISTER
Senior twins Siena and Marissa Gore have either broken or are ranked in the top-10 for nearly every category in the KSU career record book.

Siena Gore has broken the single-season record for points, goals and draw controls twice becoming the only Owl in history to record over 150 goals and 250 draw controls. She needs only five points in 2021 to set the all-time career points record.

With 263 draw controls in her career, Siena Gore is just the third player in ASUN history to record over 200 career draw controls. She is the current ASUN record holder by more than 30 draw controls and counting. Siena is also one of three players in conference history to score over 150 goals, needing 20 more this season to tie Jacksonville's Danielle Della Rocca (2014-17) for the league record.

Marissa Gore has been another all-around powerhouse for KSU, ranking fifth all-time for career assists (30), third for draw controls (136) and sixth for caused turnovers (35). She currently ranks ninth for career points with 82 and needs just two goals in 2021 to crack the top-10.

Marissa is the top returning player from last season for ground balls (11) and caused turnovers (7) with both Marissa and Siena being the only two returners to net over 10 goals in 2020.

NAP TIME
Emily Napierala is the sole senior from last season to return for the 2021 campaign after her senior season was cut short due to COVID-19.

Napierala was the Owls' top-assister ranking second in the ASUN with 11 dimes, one of four players with double-digit assists. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native has led KSU in assists the last two seasons becoming one of three players in program history to record over 20 assists in a year, recording 25 in 2019.

She is currently ranked fourth on the KSU career record list for assists with 47, needing three more to become the fourth Owl in program history with 50 career assists. Napierala needs only 18 assists this season to tie Haley Swift (2016-19) for the all-time career record.

Napierala has also found the back of the net a fair amount herself, recording 53 goals in her career. She currently ranks 10th on the KSU career record list for goals and is one of seven players in program history to record 100 career points.

PRESEASON HYPE
Midfielders Siena Gore and Payton Gregory were named to the 2021 Preseason All-Conference Team announced by the ASUN.

The preseason recognition is the first for junior Gregory and the third straight for Gore.

A 2019 ASUN All-Freshman Team selection, Gregory has appeared in every match since joining the Owls as a freshman in 2019, starting the last 19 straight games. A formidable threat in the defensive third, Gregory is a key piece in the Owls' transition helping KSU achieve a 79.7 clearance percentage to rank third in the ASUN last season.

The Marietta, Ga., native tallied four ground balls and three caused turnovers during the shortened 2020 season, totaling 17 ground balls and seven caused turnovers in her career.

Gore looks to continue her record-breaking career in 2021 after leading the ASUN in goals (28), points (32) and draw controls (46) last season. The 2019 ASUN Player of the Year, Gore recorded three or more goals in all but one game last season and has never been held to less than two goals in a game.

LOCKED IN THE CAGE
With the graduation of revered goalkeeper Alex Bunn, all eyes now turn to two freshmen, Julia Weiss and Errin Crowe, to step into the cage.

Weiss comes to KSU from South Carroll HS in Sykesville, Md., leading the Cavaliers to a its first ever Class 2A State Championship and a 17-1 record in 2019. She was named an all-county selection in 2018 and 2019.

A local product out of Lassiter HS, Crowe helped lead the Trojans to three Area 4 6A/7A championships from 2017-19. She finished her prep career with a 56-17 overall record.

The duo will have big shoes to fill as the KSU defense ranked third in the ASUN last year averaging 14.29 goals against. That mark ranks second in KSU single-season history.

UP NEXT
Following Saturday's season-opener, the Owls return to Kennesaw for their home-opener hosting top-ranked Florida Wednesday (Mar. 3) at 11 a.m.
 

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