FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, dbeall@uscupstate.edu

Box Score (PDF)

KENNESAW, Ga. – The USC Upstate women's soccer team allowed a pair of early goals on Sunday afternoon and a second-half penalty kick handed Kennesaw State a 3-0 victory over the Spartans at KSU Stadium in Atlantic Sun action.

The Owls get back on track and improve to 5-6-1 overall and 1-1-1 in the A-Sun, while the Spartans drop to 2-11 overall and 0-4 in league action. Kennesaw State picks up a win for the first time in its last four games and stays perfect in the all-time series with Upstate at 9-0.

The Owls and Spartans traded shots in the opening 15 minutes, including a laser shot from Courtney Deblois in the 14th minute, but KSU goalkeeper Lauren Roberts dove to her left barely got a hand on the  ball to make the save.

Just four minutes later the Owls would break the scoreless tie when a corner kick was played out wide and Jewelia Strickland with a perfect cross to the far post and Danielle Gray drilled a header to the back of the net to make it 1-0. The score for Gray was her team-leading sixth goal of the season.

Kennesaw State doubled its lead in the 37th minute when Liz Blackburn slid a shot inside the right post past a diving Sarah Plantz to make it 2-0. Lexi Hastings played the cross in the box and Katrina Frost's deflection found Blackburn who tallied her first score of the year on the play.

Rebecca Sanzsole fired a shot on goal for the Spartans late in the first half, but the junior's attempt found the hands of Roberts to keep Upstate off the board.

A quiet second half turned into anything but that in the 66th minute when a pair of KSU forwards raced toward goal but Plantz made a diving save at the top of the box, only to have the head referee whistle the Upstate stopper for a yellow card and a penalty kick for the Owls.

Much to the dislike of the Upstate bench, Kelsey Barr stepped up to take the penalty and drilled the attempt to the right as Plantz dove to the left, giving Kennesaw State a commanding 3-0 lead at the 65:14 mark.

Upstate tallied five shots in the contest and a single corner kick, while the Owls attempted 20 shots and five corner kicks, all of which came in the first half.

The Spartans return to action next Saturday evening, playing host to ETSU in the first of three straight games at County University Stadium to close out the home schedule. Kickoff against the Buccaneers is slated for 7 p.m.

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