Katrina Frost followed her A-Sun Player of the Week honor with her 10th goal of the season, and the KSU soccer team shutout the Stetson Hatters in its regular season finale on Sunday in Deland, Fla., to clinch the 3rd seed in the Atlantic Sun Tournament.
KSU (10-7-1, 6-2-1 A-Sun) jumped in front of the Hatters just before intermission when sophomore midfielder Nicole Calder scored her third goal of the year, receiving an assist from redshirt-sophomore Jewelia Strickland.
Stetson (3-13-1, 1-7- 1 A-Sun) was outshot a staggering 20-6 in the contest and also was beat in corner kicks, 5-2.
The Owls pulled away in the second-half in the 82nd minute when sophomore Heather Joyce scored her second goal of the season off an assist from junior defender Kelsey Barr.
Frost added to the scoring in the final minute of play. The redshirt-sophomore received an assist off a corner kick and stuffed the ball in the back of the net, sealing the score
at 3-0.
Senior goalkeeper Lauren Roberts played an entire 90 minutes, registering four saves. The Owls were aggressive during the first period, forcing four saves in the first-half alone for the Hatters goalkeeper Victoria Troccoli.
The Owls victory erased the bad taste of a 1-0 heartbreaker on Friday to Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Meyers, Fla. The Eagles (12-3-3, 7-1-1 A-Sun) clinched the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title.
KSU’s arch-rival Mercer finished in second place in the conference with a 6-1-2 conference record (12-4-3 overall).
The Owls will host North Florida on Saturday at KSU Stadium in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
North Florida (7-9-2, 5-3-1 A-Sun), the 6th seed in the tournament, lost its regular season contest against the Owls to the tune of 4-2 at Kennesaw Stadium.
The winner of Saturday’s matchup will face either Florida Gulf Coast or Mercer in Fort Meyers, Fla., in the semi-final on Nov. 2. The Atlantic Sun Conference championship game will be played Sunday, Nov. 4 at the same venue.
For more information on the tournament and KSU soccer, visit atlanticsun.org or ksuowls.com. You can also find information on the team by following @KSUOwlNation on Twitter.
