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11/4/2009 - WOMEN'S SOCCER
Women’s Soccer Championships Continues Thursday
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MACON, Ga. - The Atlantic Sun Women’s Soccer Championship continues beginning Thursday afternoon with a shift in scenery to Kennesaw, Ga. and the campus of the Kennesaw State University for the championship semifinals and conference title match.
Kennesaw State serves as host to the Atlantic Sun Women’s Soccer Championship for the fourth-consecutive season. The Owls wrapped up a share of the regular-season conference crown with a 2-0 win against Campbell on Oct. 24. Kennesaw State earned a record of 9-6-0 during the regular season while posting a mark of 7-3-0 in A-Sun conference play. First-Team All-Atlantic Sun forward Caitlin Dingle leads the Kennesaw State offense with seven goals, six assists and 20 total points. Even with Dingle leading the way, the Owls hold a great deal of balance on the offensive side with six players entering the A-Sun Championship with 10 or more points. Staci Pugh leads the Owls in net with starts in all 15 games this season. The junior goalkeeper enter A-Sun Championship play with a 1.28 goals-against average, a .780 save percentage and four shutouts on the 2009 campaign. Kennesaw State begins A-Sun Championship play with four wins in its last five games against league foes, outscoring its opponents 18-3 in that span. The Owls take on No. 4 seeded Jacksonville who advanced past Mercer in the opening round on penalty kicks. Kennesaw State takes the field against Jacksonville at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Belmont shared the regular-season crown with Kennesaw State after posting a record of 6-1-3 in conference play and an overall mark of 9-5-4. The Bruins held the best winning percentage in conference action with their only loss coming at Kennesaw State. Sari Lin leads the Bruins in net holds an A-Sun best 0.69 goal-against average with a .859 save percentage including eight shutouts. Lin only allowed four seven goals in conference play with four coming in Belmont’s loss to Kennesaw State. First-Team All-Atlantic Sun midfielder Jayme Trocino leads the Bruins offensively and ranked third in the Atlantic Sun regular-season with 23 points. Trocino tied for first during the regular season in goals scored. Lauren Paynter ranked second on the Belmont squad with six goals. Annie Musacchio and Elizabeth Bublis sit tied for the Bruins lead in assists with six. Belmont claimed the A-Sun Championship a season ago with Sari Lin earning the tournament’s Most Vauable Player Award. The Bruins take on Stetson, who knocked off Campbell 2-1 in the opening round of play. The Hatter and the Bruins played to a 1-1 tie during the regular season in Nashville, Tenn. Belmont and Stetson meet in the first of the two semifinals at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Steteson advanced to the semifinal round of the A-Sun Championhips with a 2-1 victory against Campbell on Saturday. Senior Tessa Gavilsky showed why she earned the league’s Player of the Year award as she set up Natalie Simon’s goal in the 36th minute and netted the game-winning goal in the 38th minute to advance Setetson to the women’s soccer championship semifinal for the first time since 2006. The Hatters come to Kennesaw on a seven-game unbeaten streak, which ranks second-best in the conference to Jacksonville eight-game streak. Stetson led the league in goals scored during the regular season and ranked fourth in the conference in saves. , Gavilsky, leads the Hatters offensively with a conference-best 30 points on the season. Gavilsky, the first student-athlete since Mirela Ninic from Mercer to repeat as conference Player of Year, leds the A-Sun in goals scored with 11. Three Hatters finished in the top four of the A-Sun points chart during the regular season. Gavilsky, Heather Berg and Katie Bitetto combined to rack up 70 points, more than six teams in the conference. Andrea Garavaglia leads the Hatter defense in net. She ranks tied for second in the conference in shutout with seven and led Stetson to its fourth 10 win season.
The Dolphins advanced past Mercer in the opening round on penalty kicks. Mercer grabbed the early lead in the match on a goal from Olivia Tucker in the 11th minute of the match. Lisa Hensley, a member of the 2009 Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team, evened the score in the 22nd minute and gave the Dolphins the lead, 2-1, in the 74th minute. Kacie Hudson kept Mercer’s hopes alive in the 86th minute with a game-tying goal but after two scoreless overtimes the game went to penalty kicks. The Bears missed on their first three kick with the Dolphins connecting on their first two with Liz Fink stepping up to the penalty spot. The Second-Team All-Atlantic Sun member slipped the ball past Mercer goalkeeper, Jean Worts, and sent the Dolphins to the semifinal. Jacksonville comes into the semifinal round with only one loss in Atlantic Sun Conference play and on a conference-best eight-game unbeaten streak. The Dolphins started the season 0-4-0, but since then Jacksonville holds a record of 8-2-5. The Dolphins feature a very balanced offense with Eva Leeper leading the way with six goals and three assists.
All three games from the (Kennesaw Soccer Complex) – Fans can purchase individual games for $5.99 or watch all three games for $9.99.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
