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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Owls secured their first win of the season Thursday afternoon, defeating Gardner-Webb 11-6 in their home women's lacrosse opener at Fifth Third Stadium.
Key Players: Lavona Watkins led the charge with four goals, two caused turnovers and two draw controls. Lauren Dobbs recorded a career-high five caused turnovers, moving into fourth place all-time in KSU history with 57 caused turnovers in her career.
The Rundown: Watkins opened the scoring just minutes into the contest to give the Owls an early spark. Shortly after, Lexi Tinker capitalized on a woman-up opportunity to extend the lead to 2-0.
In the second quarter, Tinker added another highlight score with a shorthanded goal to maintain momentum. Less than a minute later, Watkins netted her fifth goal of the season to keep the offense rolling.
Cohen Ridenour found the back of the cage for the first time this season in the third quarter, finishing a woman-up opportunity assisted by Tinker that put KSU up 5-3.
The fourth quarter featured an offensive surge with five goals scored by the Owls. After the Bulldogs rallied to within a goal at 6-5, Watkins answered with another woman-up goal before Addelyn Maxwell tallied her first career goal to give KSU an 8-5 advantage. Caleigh Shore added her second goal of the game and fourth of the season to keep the pressure on. Maxwell capped the afternoon with her second goal of the contest, scoring with just three seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Postgame Quote:
"It's nice to get off the road and play at home," Head Coach Laura Maness said. "I think the girls met the challenge today and fixed the things we needed to fix to be successful to win."
Next Time Out: The Owls remain at home and will host Mercer on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. at Walens Family Field 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.
