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ROCK HILL, S.C. – Kennesaw State women's lacrosse dropped a nail-biter in overtime on Saturday afternoon against the Winthrop Eagles in an 8-7 loss.

KEY PLAYERS: Senior Caleigh Shore and junior Lavona Watkins paced the Owls with two goals apiece, with Shore tacking on an assist. Mia Nardi had a strong day in the cage with 13 saves. Senior Shannon Harrington also got in on the scoring action with a free position goal.

THE RUNDOWN: The Owls drew first blood with a goal from Watkins but then allowed the Eagles to go on a run, scoring four goals, putting the Owls in a 4-1 deficit early in the second quarter. KSU's defense proceeded to come alive, holding Winthrop scoreless over the next 36 minutes. Shore sparked the offense in the second quarter with a pair of goals to push the Owls to within one. In the closing seconds of the first half, Marleigh Belinfanti scored her first goal of the year to tie the game, 4-4 at the half. The Owls continued to control the game in the third quarter, shutting out the Eagles and adding goals from Lexi Tinker and Harrington. 
After Winthrop ended their scoring drought, Watkins scored with 3:44 left that looked to be the one to close it out. The Eagles then were able to score two goals in the final 1:30 to force overtime. Winthrop's shot advantage ultimately was too difficult to overcome, as the Eagles broke the tie to win in the final seconds of overtime.

POSTGAME QUOTES – HEAD COACH LAURA MANESS
"We started out slow making some careless errors that put us in a hole early. I admire the fight the girls showed to earn the lead in the game. We are disappointed we couldn't close the game out as we had our opportunities to do just that. My hope is that this game prepares us to meet the moment in clutch situations to get the win. I think Mia really stepped up in cage and I think Caleigh stepped up in midfield."

NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls return to Kennesaw for their home opener on Thursday, Feb. 19, with a contest against Gardner-Webb at 3 p.m. at Fifth Third Stadium.

The Owls Fund
The Owls Fund is the primary fundraising arm of Kennesaw State Athletics with the goal of supporting our student-athletes, coaches and each of our 18 NCAA Division I programs. Through initiatives such as Legacy Lockers, the Dot Martin Scholarship Golf Classic, sport-specific giving opportunities, general donations and season tickets, The Owls Fund connects fans with KSU's programs and student-athletes. Members receive exclusive benefits such as hospitality seating areas and events at Kennesaw State home games, and more. Join The Owls Fund here and discover more opportunities on how you can support Kennesaw State Athletics.