By: Zac Pike
Kennesaw State (5-8-2), (3-3-1) vs. Bellarmine (1-6-8), (1-3-4)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Fifth Third Bank Stadium
Date: Oct. 16
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Live Stats | Video
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State hosts Bellarmine Sunday at 1 p.m. at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
KSU and Bellarmine have met four times, with the Owls posting a perfect 4-0 record in the series. Kennesaw State knocked off the Knights 1-0 on Oct. 31, 2021, last season.
The Owls earned a huge three points in the ASUN standings with a 2-0 victory over Eastern Kentucky Thursday.
Bellarmine fell to Jacksonville State 1-0 after a somewhat chaotic finish as the Knights scored the would-be equalizer with 10 seconds remaining, but BU was ruled offsides.
Race to the Finish in the ASUN
The final push to the ASUN Conference Tournament is in full swing as KSU is in a three-way tie for sixth place with Stetson and North Florida, two opponents that the Owls end the season against. The top eight teams in the conference advance to the tournament. The final three games of the season will determine the final five spots remaining for the tournament.
Allanah Blye Posts Fourth Clean Sheet
Blye finished with 10 saves for the second straight game as she posted her fourth clean sheet of the season in the 2-0 win against EKU. The 10 saves are the seventh-most in program history. The Duncan, S.C. native already broke the all-time record for saves in a game with 16 earlier this season against Liberty. Blye sits second in the ASUN with a .854 save percentage (30th nationally) and averages 7.60 stops per game (6th nationally). Her 76 saves rank first in the conference.
Miller and Rivera Lead KSU over EKU
Upperclassmen Erin Miller and Tianna Rivera led the KSU offense in Thursday's 2-0 shutout over the Colonels. Miller notched her fourth career goal and second of the season with a header from a corner kick from Mai Jensen. Rivera scored the fifth goal of her career and first of the season after dribbling past her defender and curling the shot around the defender and goalkeeper.
KSU's Stout Defense in Conference Play
The Kennesaw State defense and Blye have gotten off to a strong start in conference play. KSU has given up seven goals in seven games and has three clean sheets against Jacksonville State, Jacksonville and Eastern Kentucky. The seven goals allowed in ASUN action are fourth-best in the conference, only trailing ASUN frontrunners Liberty, Lipscomb and FGCU.
Underclassmen Powering Offense
Underclassmen have accounted for eight of the 14 goals for KSU this season. Freshman Stella Allen leads KSU with three goals and is tied for 15th in the ASUN in goals scored. Sophomore Macie Rainwater has chipped in two goals after scoring seven a season ago. Freshmen Chiara Singarella, Mai Jensen and Aly Bryan each have one goal scored.
A Look at Bellarmine
Bellarmine's defense ranks second in the ASUN in goals-against average (0.86) and goals allowed (13) and is tied for third in shutouts (7). With 33 career shutouts, senior goalkeeper Elyssa Francis is only two shy of tying the program record. Francis has accumulated five clean sheets this season. Freshman midfielder Alexa Orozco has scored half of the team's six goals on the season. Two of the three have come in ASUN play, as Orozco scored against Central Arkansas and Stetson. Senior center back Sarah Kraus has played all 1,260 possible minutes this season. She scored the first goal of her career in the Stetson game.
Next Match
The Owls travel to North Florida for their final regular season road game Wednesday at 3 p.m.
