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Kennesaw, Ga. – Kennesaw State women's lacrosse fell to No. 7 Florida, 22-7 on Saturday. The loss ends the four-game win streak and drops the Owls to 5-4 on the year, while No. 7 Florida improves to 6-2.
KEY PLAYERS: Lexi Tinker once again led the way for the Owls on offense, scoring three goals and two assists.
Lavona Watkins had another all-around performance, scoring a goal, scooping up a ground ball, causing a turnover, and securing five draw controls.
THE RUNDOWN: No. 7 Florida scored two early goals to jump out to an early lead before Tinker drew first blood for the Owls, scoring her first goal of the game to cut the Gator lead to 2-1. Florida then scored eight unanswered goals for a 10-1 advantage at the end of the first quarter. After three more Gator goals in the second quarter, Tinker found the net for the second time, putting Florida up 13-2. The Gators then scored four more goals to stretch the lead to 17-2 at halftime. The Owls came out of halftime and held Florida to only two goals in the third quarter and got some offense going, scoring three consecutive goals to end the quarter. Tinker started the run, scoring a hat-trick goal, before Watkins got on the board with a free-position goal.
Jordyn Olivo capped off the third quarter, scoring her second goal of the season, with an assist coming from Tinker, as the Owls faced a 19-5 deficit headed into the fourth.
Sarah Walden scored her second goal of the season, after scooping up a free-position attempt that hit the post and immediately scoring at point blank range.
Marleigh Belinfanti joined the scoring action, scoring the Owls seventh and final goal of the day in the final minutes.
POSTGAME QUOTE – HEAD COACH LAURA MANESS
"We knew Florida is a very talented team. We want to schedule hard teams, especially going into conference play. Our goal is always to win our conference, and if we do that, we will be facing teams such as Florida in the postseason. This game is good preparation for us going into conference play. We made great adjustments in the second half, and we were able to run some offense. Lexi's play was great; we were able to move the ball better in the second half. We played clean with very few turnovers and controlled the possessions we had and I think this puts us in a good position going into our game with Queens."
NOTES
- Watkins earned a new career-high in draw controls with five.
- Tinker has recorded at least five points in four consecutive games, becoming the first player since Siena Gore in 2021 to accomplish that feat.
- Belinfanti became the fourth Owl this season to reach 10 goals.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls are back home at Walens Family Field at Fifth Third Stadium to open ASUN play against Queens on Thursday, March 19 at 12 p.m.
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.
