Friday, Apr. 30
4:00 p.m. ET – Kennesaw State (5-8, 1-1) vs No. 17 Jacksonville (7-1, 2-0)
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Notes: KSU

OPENING DRAW
» The Kennesaw State women's lacrosse team wraps up its regular season slate Friday afternoon, hosting perennial powerhouse Jacksonville in Fifth Third Bank Stadium for senior day. The Owls will honor five of their seniors, Emily Napierala, Marissa Gore, Sisely Vongphasouk, Samantha Lecaroz and Roslyn Talbert, who will be playing in their final home games at KSU before taking on JU. The senior squad looks to lead KSU out of its current four-game skid and earn the programs first victory over Jacksonville. The 17th-ranked Dolphins head into the game sitting atop the ASUN standings after defeating Liberty this past Sunday.

» KSU heads into the game after dropping its last game against in-state foe Mercer. Siena Gore led the team with four goals, adding two assists for a team-high six points. She continues to rank second in the NCAA for goals per game averaging 5.08 while ranked fifth with 61 total goals. Gore has recorded six or more goals in five games this season tying her career-high, and the KSU single-game record she previously set, with nine goals against Wofford and Mercer. Only six other players in the country have netted at least 60 goals on the year. Gore also leads the country for total free position goals (29) and free position goals per game (2.42) while ranked 30th in the NCAA for draw controls per game (5.67). This year Gore became the first Owl in program history to record over 200 career points while breaking the all-time ASUN record for career goals and draw controls with 227 and 331 respectively. She needs just six more points to break the all-time conference record for career points.

» Freshman Julia Weiss has been a brick wall in the net for KSU, recording double-digit saves in six games this season. She currently ranks second in the league and 29th in the NCAA with 115 saves. Following her 12 saves against the Flames, Weiss became the sixth goalkeeper in program history to reach the century mark for career saves, reaching that mark in a record 12 games. She's one of five Owls to record over 100 saves in a single season, ranked second on the record list.

» Twin sister Marissa Gore has provided a one-two punch for KSU, recording at least four points in seven games this year. She currently leads the league with 17 assists, recording a career-high five assists against Mercer, one shy of the single-game record. A threat across the field, Gore ranks second in the league for points (47), draw controls (54), ground balls (32) while ranked third for caused turnovers (20) and goals (30).

» On the defensive side, the Owls have five players ranked in the league's top-15 for caused turnovers with Marissa and Siena Gore tied for third with 20 each. Payton Gregory, Roslyn Talbert and Rachel Price round out the top-10 ranked 10th with 11 apiece. As a team, KSU ranks 33rd in the NCAA averaging 9.15 caused turnovers per game.

SENIOR SHOWCASE
The Owls will send off and honor five seniors Friday afternoon in Emily Napierala, Marissa Gore, Sisely Vongphasouk, Samantha Lecaroz and Roslyn Talbert.

A fifth-year senior who made her return this year after last season's COVID shutdown, Napierala is one of KSU's top all-time assisters. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native is one of four Owls ever to record over 50 assists in her career while also ranked in the top-10 for career goals scored with 60 throughout her five seasons.

Marissa Gore has become one of the Owls' top all-around performers in her four seasons, ranked in KSU's top-10 all-time for career goals, points, assists, ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers. A 2019 Second Team All-ASUN selection, Marissa has earned all-freshman and all-academic team honors, maintaining a perfect 4.00 GPA in electrical engineering.

A consistent presence for the Owls, Vongphasouk has seen action in 15 games throughout her career after redshirting in 2018. After scoring her first career goal at Howard, adding two assists against the Bisons, Sisely finishes her career with three goals scored adding three ground balls and two caused turnovers.

An inspiration for the Owls on and off the field, Lecaroz has seen action in 43 games among KSU's defensive backfield. She finishes her tenure with 20 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers in her three seasons. Off the field, she has dedicated her time to volunteering on mission trips, the Special Olympics and with the University Public Health offices.

Talbert has propped up the KSU defense, starting in 37 of her 43 games played. She ranks sixth all-time for career caused turnovers while tallying 40 total ground balls.

WONDER TWIN POWERS
Senior twins Siena and Marissa Gore have buoyed the KSU attack this season and throughout their careers. They rank first and second in the ASUN for total points on the year, leading the Owls with 61 and 30 goals respectively. They are two of three players in the league to record over 40 points on the year with Siena ranked 16th in the country.

Siena Gore has netted at least six goals in five games, breaking the single-game record twice with a career-high nine goals against Wofford and Mercer. Siena is one of seven players in the country to record over 60 goals this season, ranked second in the NCAA for goals per game (5.08) and fifth for total goals (61). She has now netted over 50 goals in three seasons, the only Owl to score 50+ goals in a year.

She leads the ASUN with 68 points to rank 16th in the NCAA for total points and seventh for points per game. Siena also ranks in the league's top-5 for draw controls (1st), caused turnovers (3rd), ground balls (2nd) and shooting percentage (1st).

Not to be overshadowed, Marissa Gore currently leads the ASUN for assists (17) while ranked among the top-5 in the conference for goals (3rd), points (2nd), draw controls (2nd), caused turnovers (2nd) and ground balls (2nd). Marissa has netted at least three goals in seven games, recording four or more points in seven games.

The Gores 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 recently set the KSU all-time career record for points and is one of four players in ASUN history to earn at least 200 career points ranked second with 253.

Marissa Gore has been another all-around powerhouse for KSU, ranking fifth all-time for career assists (47), third for draw controls (190) and third for caused turnovers (55). She recently became just the eighth player in KSU history to record 100 career points after scoring a career-high six goals against Stetson. Marissa ranks fifth for career points (129) and seventh for career goals (82).

WEISS IN HER VEINS
Freshman Julia Weiss has been a huge asset in the net for KSU totaling 115 saves on the year to lead the ASUN and rank 29th in the NCAA. She currently averages 8.85 saves per game having logged double-digit saves in six games, including a career-high 14 against Winthrop.

Weiss is just the sixth keeper in KSU history to hit the century mark for career saves, passing Peyton Murdock to rank fifth all-time. She is also just the fifth Owl ever to record 100 saves in a single season, currently ranked second on the record list behind Alex Bunn's 162 saves in 2019.

If she can maintain her current saves per game average, Weiss would rank second on the single-season record list, marking just the fourth time an Owl has averaged over eight saves per game in a season.

Weiss also ranks tied for second in the conference with 32 ground balls on the year joining Siena and Marissa Gore as three of six players in the ASUN to tally at least 30 ground balls this season.

UP NEXT
With the regular season over, the Owls will now turn their attention to the ASUN Tournament beginning Thursday (May 6) at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

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