KENNESAW, Ga.- Due to lightning, Kennesaw State was unable to finish the full game versus Eastern Washington Sunday, ending with a 3-2 final in favor of the Eagles.
 
"It's unfortunate that we couldn't finish the game," Chris Cahill said. "I thought we had momentum back in our direction and we were starting to be more consistent in finding each other on the field."
 
First Half

It was another quick strike for Kennesaw State as Macie Rainwater snagged the lead for the Owls five minutes in via the header off the cross from Tianna Rivera. After beating a sliding challenge from the EWU backline, Rivera slipped through the back left corner and put in a looping cross on target setting up Rainwater. The score was place  in the upper left corner, putting the Owls up 1-0 in the first five minutes.

It's the second time the Owls scored within the first 10 minutes of a game as they scored within eight minutes versus Mercer.

Seven minutes later, EWU capitalized on a foul in the Kennesaw State box, scoring on a penalty kick to tie it up 1-1.
 
Second Half
 
The Eagles manufactured a goal once again five minutes into the second half with a strike from 15 feet out, finding the upper right edge of the net. The ball ricocheted off an Owl defender but managed to redirect its way over the arms of the keeper for the 2-1 Eastern Washington lead.
 
Moving quickly, EWU earned its third unanswered goal with a perfectly placed kick toward the upper corner from 10 feet out. It extended a two-goal lead seven minutes into the stanza.

The Owls were brought back to life with another Rainwater score as her second goal came from point blank range. After Alana Nesbit lofted a ball in, some back-and-forth jockeying for the ball left Rainwater with a clear scoring chance as she demolished it into the left side of the net. KSU trimmed the lead down to just one in the 58^th minute.

As Owl momentum was beginning to build, weather stunted it. With eight minutes left in teh game, a lightning delay forced the teams off the field with hopes of resuming the final few minutes. Play was not resumed, and the game was called with a final score of 3-2 in favor of Eastern Washington.
 
"Ultimately, we weren't consistent in our defending and it hit the woodwork too many times to win this game before the 70^th minute," Cahill said. "It's the lessons that we will learn and bring with us as we continue to grow and fight forward."

Spotlights:
Rainwater already surpassed her goal total in '23 with two in today's match. She become the first Owl to score multiple goals in a game in two years since she did so against Stetson 10/23/22.

The attack has been ferocious for KSU as the have posted three goals in two games, last season it took the Black and Gold five games to reach the same mark.
 
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