Wednesday, Mar. 3
11:00 a.m. – Kennesaw State (0-1) vs. No. 6 Florida (1-1)
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Notes: KSU | Florida

OPENING DRAW
» The Kennesaw State women's lacrosse team is back in the Nest Wednesday morning as the Owls welcome No. 6 Florida for their 2021 home-opener at 11 a.m. This will be the second straight season KSU hosts the Gators, dropping 2020's meeting 21-6. The Owls look to bounce back after falling to Coastal Carolina in their season-opener this past Saturday.

» Sisters Siena and Marissa Gore each netted a hat trick against the Chanticleers to lead the Owls. The Gores are two of six players in the league to net at least three goals in a single game so far this season. Siena Gore recorded all three goals from the spot, converting three of five free position shots to lead the ASUN. Siena also tallied five draw controls in the game placing her in a tie for third in the conference with the top two players in the league having played four games this year to KSU's one.

» The Owls found themselves in front early at Coastal Carolina thanks in large part to a suffocating defense and the play of freshman goalkeeper Julia Weiss. KSU led 4-3 at halftime as Weiss recorded all eight of her saves in the first period. As a team, KSU recorded 11 caused turnovers led by Roslyn Talbert who tied her career-high with three in the game. Her three caused turnovers put her in a tie for ninth in the ASUN with all but two other players ahead of her having played at least two games.

» Despite netting only seven goals at Coastal Carolina, the Owls were sharpshooters with 18 of their 21 total shots on frame. KSU currently leads the ASUN with an 85.7 shots on goal percentage, the only team in the league shooting 70 percent or better. Both Marissa and Siena Gore shot 50 percent in the season-opener, scoring three times on six shots.

» Emily Napierala returned to the field this year to make up for her senior season being cut short in 2020. She started off the year tallying one assist and one ground ball at Coastal Carolina. She is one of 10 players in the ASUN to tally at least one assist, currently tied for fourth in the league. Napierala has been the Owls' top assister the past two seasons, totaling 48 total dimes in her career. Napierala currently ranks fourth on the KSU career assists list and needs just two 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 two more points in 2021 to set the all-time career points record.

With 268 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 17 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 (139) and sixth for caused turnovers (37). She currently ranks ninth for career points with 85 and recently cracked the top-10 for career goals after netting three in the Owls' season-opener to bring her career total to 55.

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 48, needing two more to become the fourth Owl in program history with 50 career assists. Napierala needs only 17 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 is one of seven players in program history to record 100 career points.

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.

She was huge in her debut, earning the starting nod in KSU's season-opener to record eight saves and help the Owls maintain a 4-3 lead at halftime. She currently ranks tied for second in the ASUN for total saves.

Fellow freshman Crowe saw action in the final 10 minutes against Coastal Carolina recording three saves. She helped lead Lassiter HS to three Area 4 6A/7A championships from 2017-19, finishing her prep career with a 56-17 overall record.

The duo were aided by a stout Owl defense that held CCU to three goals in the first period while recording 11 caused turnovers. KSU's 11 caused turnovers is good enough to rank second in the ASUN

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 started the last 20 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 18 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.

UP NEXT
After Wednesday's home-opener, the Owls return to South Carolina to square off with Winthrop Saturday (Mar. 6) at 1 p.m.
 

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