The Kennesaw State women’s lacrosse team played two home games last week, falling 21-6 to the University of Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 26, and defeating Presbyterian College 21-11 on Saturday, Feb. 29.
KSU struggled early on Wednesday against the Gators, who entered the game with a national ranking of No. 8 overall, according to NCAA.com.
To begin the game, the Gators quickly gained control with five unanswered goals in the first eight minutes. After 12 scoreless minutes, junior midfielder Siena Gore put KSU on the board with an unassisted goal.
The Gators dominated KSU throughout the first half and held a 13-3 at halftime. Sophomore attacker Chesslyn Lamar scored the Owls’ second goal to bring the score to 8-2. With less than two minutes remaining, Gore scored the final goal of the half.
UF expanded its lead with three straight goals to begin the half. KSU would respond, as Lamar and senior attacker Abby Squires combined for back-to-back goals to bring the score to 16-5.
KSU would be outscored 5-1 to end the game, with the lone Owls goal coming from junior midfielder Marissa Gore. The Gators prevailed with a final score of 21-6.
The team looked to even its record on Saturday as it hosted the Blue Hose. The Owls’ offensive attack was on full display, taking 33 shots on goal while Presbyterian totaled just 15.
“One of the things that we talked to the team about was making sure that we were in it for 60 minutes,” head coach Laura Maness said. “We thought that we had better depth than Presbyterian, so we wanted to push the tempo a bit.”
Siena Gore quickly put the Owls on the board with an unassisted goal in the game’s first minute. The Blue Hose would answer just three minutes later, and the teams continued to trade scores for most of the half.
At the 10-minute mark, the score was tied at five goals per side. KSU received early goals from senior midfielder Izzy Palermo, senior attacker Emily Napierala and Marissa Gore.
The Owls took control in the final minutes of the half, scoring six unanswered goals to take an 11-5 lead into the break.
During the run, Palermo and Marissa Gore each scored their second goal of the day, with additions also coming from Squires and sophomore attacker Jaxson Schonewille. Siena Gore led the team with a total of four goals in the half.
“We were able to break away [before halftime],” Maness said. “We stuck to our game plan knowing that it would ultimately wear them down, and we’d get better looks as we continued on throughout the game.”
KSU carried its momentum through the intermission and scored the first four goals of the second half to extend its lead to 15-5. In total, the Owls scored 10 consecutive goals after being tied in the first half.
As the game concluded, the Owls’ lead was never in jeopardy. The team forced eight second-half turnovers on its way to a 21-11 victory.
In the second half, several KSU freshmen earned playing time, gaining some valuable experience as they sealed a win for the Owls. Freshman attacker Abby Behn and freshman midfielder Zoe King each scored their first career goal.
“Our freshman class is really strong, and they work really hard in practice every single day,” Maness said. “One thing we talked to them about after Florida was coming into this game with more confidence, and we saw them do just that.”
Next up, the Owls will play two more games at home. The team will look to improve to a winning record against Mercer University on Wednesday, March 4 at 5 p.m. Then, KSU will host the Winthrop Eagles at noon on Saturday, March 7.
