The Owls lost 3-0 to Stetson on Friday and 3-0 to Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday.
Stetson scored all three goals in the second half within a span of 20 minutes after Tiffany Sornpao saved a penalty kick in the first half to keep the game tied at zero.
Sarah Collins had a goal and an assist for Stetson, assisting Arianna Suarez in the 63rd minute and scoring in the 67th. Hailey Williams scored in the 83rd minute to add the Hatters’ third and final goal.
Although KSU beat Stetson in shots on target, 7-5, Stetson’s goalkeeper, Emily Plotz, didn’t allow a single goal.
“I thought we fought hard tonight,” said head coach Benji Walton in a post-game interview. “It was one of those games where you had a sense that whoever scored first was going to have the edge, and I think that’s how it played out. I was proud of the how the girls battled.”
Interestingly — similar to Stetson — FGCU scored all three goals in the first half within a span of 20 minutes. Marjorie Boilesen scored in the 11th minute and was assisted by Emilie Olsen. Varin Ness scored in the 13th minute after stealing the ball and beating Sornpao. Nikki Hudson scored the third and final goal in the 29th minute.
Benji Walton was unhappy with his team’s performance but hopes they can use it to grow.
“I’m disappointed in our team’s effort in the first half today,” Walton said. “We didn’t play Kennesaw State soccer and that’s unacceptable. We have a standard of effort that we expect from each other every time we take the field and today we lost sight of that.”
Since getting off to a hot start, the Owls have cooled off, falling to 0-2-1 in conference play. They are currently sitting at the bottom of the table, right above NJIT, in last place. The soccer team will have to find its early-season spark and pull through its last four conference games if they have any hopes to compete in the ASUN Conference Championship.
KSU is back at home this week against Jacksonville on Friday at 5 p.m. as it looks to get its first ASUN win of the season.
