By: Mark Wasik
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Kennesaw State Department of Athletics will induct two new teams into its Hall of Fame next month at a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 15 at the Convocation Center on the Kennesaw State campus. The inductees will also be recognized during the Saturday, Sept. 16 KSU football contest against Furman at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
KSUOwls.com will profile both teams leading up to the ceremony, starting today with the 2003 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer National Champions.
Hall of Fame Page
RSVP (For Inductees and Past Inductees) | Hall of Fame Football Tickets vs Furman
KENNESAW, Ga. – It is less than a month away from the Kennesaw State 2023 Hall of Fame ceremony, and we are going to profile both teams that are being inducted into this year's class, starting with the 2003 NCAA Division II National Championship squad.
It would be hard to find a women's collegiate soccer program that ever had a more impressive first two seasons than the Kennesaw State Owls did under head coach Rob King in 2002 and 2003. In its inaugural season, KSU posted an undefeated 18-0-1 mark, with the lone tie coming in the first round of the Division II Tournament where KSU played North Florida to a 1-1 draw, but saw the Ospreys advance after winning the PK shootout, 5-4. That left the Owls with only one possible way to eclipse their unbelievable first season, and KSU began the 2003 season with one and just one goal – to win the national title.
"Winning it all was our goal from the beginning," said head coach Rob King, a 2022 KSU Hall of Fame inductee. "We knew we had put together a talented group of players and when the chemistry began to take shape, the coaches and I saw something special coming together."
A talented group of new players clicked right from the start with the veterans, and the Owls showed there would be no doubt they would be a dominate force in 2003. KSU began the season with a five-goal, second-half in a win over Alabama-Huntsville and an eight-goal first-half led to the second win of the year (Shorter). Following a 6-0 road win at Martin Methodist, the Owls faced their first real test of the year after entering the half tied at Tusculum. KSU broke the tie with a pair of second half goals to move to 4-0. That was followed by wins over Montevallo, UNC Pembroke, Reinhardt and Lander to put KSU at 8-0, which included a 43-3 goal margin for the Owls over that stretch.
Next up was a meeting with defending national champions Christian Brothers, and the Owls would come up just short in a 2-1 loss. Despite the first setback of the season, the Owls were able to put it behind them and reeled off three straight wins, including a 6-1 win over Division I Longwood. The Owls jumped to No. 2 in the national rankings.
A huge road challenge awaited the Owls in Florida with games against national powerhouses North Florida and Barry in Jacksonville. KSU opened the trip trailing by two to UNF, but battled back with goals from Stephanie Grzeszkowiak and Jenae Gzehoviak to force overtime. They eventually prevailed, 3-2, off a game-winner from Jessie Fream. The next game the Owls again were taken to overtime, but Gzehoviak was the hero this time for a one-goal win over 18th-ranked Barry.
Four more victories over Peach Belt rivals (Clayton State, USC Aiken, Presbyterian, USC Spartanburg) closed out the regular season, setting up the Owls as the top seed in the PBC Tournament. KSU absolutely routed the competition in the league tournament, taking down USC Aiken, Francis Marion and USC Spartanburg by a combined 15-0 score for its second conference title in as many years.
Riding a four-game shutout streak and a 12-game overall win streak, the Owls again faced Presbyterian in the first round, and promptly disposed of the Blue Hose, 4-0. That was followed by a 2-0 win over Tusculum to set up a rematch with Barry in the quarterfinals. In a tough contest, redshirt freshman Laura Tucker scored the lone goal in the 53rd minute to send the Owls onto the national semifinals in Virginia Beach, Va.
In the spotlight at the Final Four for the second straight year, the Owls played with grace and poise, while freshman Alissa Saylor provided the only goal that was needed in the 59th minute to put KSU in the national championship game for the first-time ever. Against Franklin Pierce in the final, the Owls used a first-half goal from Tucker for a 1-0 lead, and then shut down the Ravens to put a final stamp on the national championship season with the 2-0 victory.
KSU not only became the first-ever program to win a national championship in its first two years of existence, they also were the first team to not allow a single goal in the NCAA Division II tournament. Tucker, who scored both goals in the championship game, claimed Tournament MVP honors. King would finish the year being named National Coach of the Year, while Fream earned third-team All-American honors.
