Photo Courtesy of KSU Athletics
Lacrosse fell to Coastal Carolina 22–12 on Friday at Fifth-Third Stadium, ending its 2025 season.
The Owls showed drive from the beginning to the end, resulting in a number of excellent performances in their season-ending game on an emotional Senior Day.
With her 30th assist of the season, senior midfielder Alyssa Angelo made school history by breaking the Kennesaw State single-season assist record. Setting the tone early on, she scored a goal in the first quarter to tie the score at 2-2. Her performance was a highlight of an already outstanding season.
“Breaking that record on Senior Day was really special,” Owls coach Laura Maness said of Angelo’s assist milestone. “It speaks to her leadership that she moves the ball so well and finds the open player.”
With four goals and one assist, Lexi Tinker was the team’s top scorer. In order to keep the Owls within striking distance, she first scored KSU’s goal of the game and then added two more in the second quarter. She remained aggressive throughout, scoring late in the fourth quarter.
“Alyssa really stepped up on the draw unit and on offense,” said Maness. “Lexi Tinker kept putting us back in the game when things weren’t going our way. The fight was definitely there.”
With two assists and a three goals Shannon Harrington had a nice day as well. In order to accomplish her hat trick, she contributed the game’s first two goals and then added two of her own, including one in the fourth quarter.
Marleigh Belinfanti contributed in several areas of the game, continuing her excellent play with two goals and one assist. Late in the third quarter, Lavona Watkins added another goal to give KSU a total of 12 goals for the day.
Despite not finishing the season with a victory, the Owls’ resilience and focus showed the team’s outlook. With the lessons learned from this season in mind, KSU expects to return with a stronger and more seasoned squad. With younger players moving up, and leaders like Tinker and Harrington setting the tone, the Owls have a lot of potential for next season.
“We had so many injuries this season it felt like we were fighting with one hand behind our back,” Maness said. “The first goal now is to get healthy. And we’ve got to clean up the silly turnovers. When we move the ball well and our stick work is sharp, we create great scoring chances.”
