The Kennesaw State Owls secured a win against Jacksonville University, marking their second consecutive win this season.
The Kennesaw State Owls secured their third win of the season on Thursday, Oct. 5, against the Jacksonville University Dolphins at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
Defender Aila Swinton scored the game-winning goal 47 minutes into the game with a corner kick from midfielder Madelyn Baucom.
“The best thing about scoring was hugging my teammates and seeing how happy they were afterward,” Swinton said. “My best advice is to always use your head.”
Although neither team scored, the first half of the game was a battle of persistence and stamina. The Owls attempted seven shots, three of which were shots on the goal, leaving the Dolphins with only one attempt.
During the second half of the game, both teams were full of energy. Jacksonville came straight out of the halftime break with a charge to the goal, leaving the Owls’ last level of defense, goalkeeper Allanah Byle, to stop the goal.
The Owls committed three fouls in the first half of the game, one more than the Dolphins. However, the pressure from Swinton’s goal and the Owls’ newfound morale caused the Dolphins to become more aggressive and commit four fouls in the second half, compared to the Owls’ single foul. In the end, the Owls left the game with four fouls total, while the Dolphins left with six.
Subbing in for midfielder Alana Nesbit, defender Juliette Barbush stayed true to the game and hustled to protect the corners from the Dolphins’ fast charges for the last 29 minutes. Overall, the Owls stopped five attempted shots from the Dolphins.
With roughly 175 fans in attendance to cheer on their team’s players, the energy from the crowd was loud and bright at this victorious game.
The Owls started their season strong by winning their first home game against Presbyterian. However, their competitors seemed just as determined to succeed, causing over half of the Owls’ games to result in ties or losses. The win against Jacksonville marks the team’s second consecutive win of the season after defeating Stetson University on Oct. 1.
This fiery win helped Head Coach Benji Walton secure six signee’s to the team on Nov. 8, 2023.
“Signing is always a fun day cause a lot of hard work goes into recruiting,” Walton said. “We were able to stay in state and get some players there.”
The KSU soccer team signed Layla Kerr, Morgan Mahoney, Phoebe Scott, Angelina Noorbehesht, Ava Bradford and Isabella Stephens.
