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Score: Kennesaw State 19, Stetson 12,
Records: Kennesaw State (2-3, 1-0), Stetson (0-3, 0-1)
Key Players: Marissa Gore (6 goals, 1 asst, 5 GBs), Siena Gore (4 goals, 2 assts, 6 DCs, 4 CTs), Emily Napierala (3 goals, 1 asst, 1 GB), Chesslyn Lamar (2 goals), Jaxsyn Schonewille (1 asst, 8 DCs) and Julia Weiss (6 saves)
 
THE STORYLINE 
Led by Marissa Gore's career-high six goals, the Kennesaw State women's lacrosse team dominated Stetson 19-12 in Monday afternoon's ASUN opener for its first conference win of the season.

MANESS QUOTES
On today's win…
"I think today we came out with a fire. We scored two goals out of the gate in under two minutes to really start that momentum. From there, the game had some ups and downs. Something we struggled with today were cards and so having to play man down defense really kind of allowed Stetson to stay in the game and to keep fighting back within reach. I will say our defense gets a lot of credit, they had to play a lot of backfield defense man down and that's really not easy to do and we had to work through some of those touchy calls we got today. I think we dominated the draws which is extremely helpful, and I think our defense really composed themselves even when calls weren't going our way and our backs were against the wall. Offensively, one of our goals for the games today was to score 20 goals. We knew that we needed to produce and have an offensive day today and having 19 goals is exactly where we felt we could be at. Everyone contributed offensively with Marissa having a record day with six goals and Siena with four. Emily Napierala coming back after a few games being out also had a great first game back with three goals and an assist. And then obviously Hannah Barth off the bench scoring a goal was really huge, that was the first goal of her career and we've been seeing her do that in practice all the time so having her step up and Mia MacKenzie scoring off the bench was really good to see. All in all I think it was a good day."

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls started the match off hot as Julia Dell'Angelo netted a goal at the 29:22 mark to make it 1-0 30 seconds into the match. KSU continued to bring the heat as Marissa Gore found the back of the net to give the Owls the early 2-0 lead. Stetson took advantage of the Owls' turnovers allowing them to score back-to-back goals tying up the game 2-2 at the 25:43 mark. After cleaning up their errors the Owls put the petal to the metal going on a 4-0 run featuring goals from Mia Mackenzie, her second of the season, and the Gore sisters.

The Hatters found their grove as they netted a goal at the 19:25 mark, cutting the lead in half 6-3. Not backing down Chesslyn Lamar scored a goal right down the middle of the net assisted by Natalie Welch to further extend KSU's lead to 7-3. Marissa Gore continued the streak for the Owls as she won the draw control and took it straight to the house to make it 8-3. As Stetson continued to trail, the Hatters managed to find the back of the net twice to cut the lead to three, 8-5, with less than 12 minutes to go. A defensive struggle ensued between both teams as six minutes passed before Siena Gore scored on a free position shot. With less than three minutes left in the half Marissa Gore scored once again to match her career-high, followed by a goal by Welch before the Hatters were able to end the half on a free position shot to make it 11-6.

Lamar kept the Owls momentum rolling in the second half as she netted a goal off the assist by Emily Napierala at 29:29 mark. Napierala then caught the Stetson defensive sleeping to net her first goal of the season with an assist from Siena Gore to extend the lead to 13-6. A back-and-forth affair started between both squads featuring a goal from freshman Hannah Barth, her first career goal as an Owl. The Hatters were able to pick up momentum as they went on a 3-0 run cutting the lead to four, 14-10. A foul by the Hatters gave Marissa Gore an open free position shot, converting from the hash for her sixth goal of the game at the 6:22 mark. With less than five minutes on the clock the Hatter tried to make a comeback but it was was unsuccessful as Napierala recorded back-to-back goals while a Siena Gore free position goal put the nail in their coffin, 19-12                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
NOTES
- The game marked only the second time Marissa Gore has logged five or more goals, recording three or more in the last three games.
- Siena Gore had her third straight game with at least four goals and five points.
- Emily Napierala netted her first goals of the season.
- Hannah Barth recorded her first career goal, while Mia MacKenzie logged just her second career goal.
- Jaxsyn Schonewille recorded a career high eight draw controls.
- Marissa Gore scooped up a career-high five ground balls.
- The Owls logged their third straight game with at least 10 caused turnovers, finishing with 11.

UP NEXT
The Owls head on the road to face off against Gardner-Webb next Tuesday (Mar. 23) at 3 p.m.