Kennesaw State University defeated in-state rival Mercer University by a score of 4-2 in the Owls’ second home game of the season on Friday, Aug. 26.
Senior Cassidy Kemp led the way with two goals, followed by redshirt senior Brittney Reed and senior Kim Fincher with a goal of their own. The three seniors were responsible for nine of the 19 shots that were taken by the Owls during the match.
Midfielder Brittney Reed put the Owls on the scoreboard after seven minutes of play. KSU head coach Benji Walton said the team had plenty to learn after last week’s 0-0 draw in double-overtime game against Georgia State.
“This week, we just watched clips of how close we were and I said, ‘We’re this close, so all you gotta do is execute,'” Walton said. “I think [the first goal] gave everyone some confidence, so it was a big goal.”
Twenty-six minutes later, Kemp scored the second goal of the game after receiving a cross from Reed. Four minutes later, Kemp scored another goal after beating a defender in a one-on-one situation.
KSU dominated the possession of the ball and was able to create pressure up top on Mercer, who always seemed one step behind during the first half of the game. The Owls outshot their opponent 10-3 during the first half.
“Everyone has been talking about our defense for a while, it’s good to see our offense really get involved and create,” Walton said. “We were very creative off the ball tonight.”
Mercer midfielder Maddie Clark put the Bears on the scoreboard after scoring from the penalty spot in the 61st minute. Thirty-five seconds later, KSU’s Kim Fincher scored the fourth goal of the game for the Owls. Clark would score once more for the Bears from the penalty spot.
“I think we’re starting to continue to put pieces together, but we got to stay hungry,” Walton said. “We’re still not perfect yet, we still got to work on some things, but very pleased with the overall attacking effort from everybody tonight.”
KSU improves to a 2-0-1 record so far this season. The Owls’ next game will be at home against Alabama A&M at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28.
