CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina women's lacrosse team (12-5, 5-1 ASUN) defeated Kennesaw State (5-11, 0-6 ASUN) in a 17-7 win over the Owls in the regular-season finale at Brooks Stadium.
With the win, CCU ends the regular season with a 12-5 overall record, 5-1 against conference opponents, winning nine of their final 10 games down the stretch. The Chants clinched the No. 2 seed in the ASUN Conference Championship next week in Jacksonville, Fla on May 2.
Coastal opened the game on a 7-0 run with seniors Sydney McClure scoring a first quarter hat-trick and Jordan Gertz scoring her first goal of the season from her defensive position. CCU led 8-1 after the first 15 minutes, as six different Chants added their name on the scoresheet.
Three more Chants would add their names to the scoresheet in the second quarter, as Avery McIlwaine, who scored her 100th career goal vs. Stetson on Apr. 21, Maddie Bates and Alyson Mascolo continued to bolster to the home lead. Coastal outscored Kennesaw State 4-1 in the second period, taking a 12-2 lead into the halftime break.
The second half was split 5-5 on the scoreline, as Coastal outscored Kennesaw 3-2 in the third, but the Owls responded with three goals of their own in the fourth to CCU's two. McClure capped off her four-goal performance this afternoon with another score in the final seconds of the game, giving the Chants their second straight win at home in conference play to close out the regular season.
While securing their 12th overall win this season, and the eighth at Brooks Stadium, the Chants finished the game today with 17 goals on 32 total attempts, 27 on frame, scoring five goals from free position attempts. McClure once again led CCU in the scoring department with four goals, her fourth four-goal outing this season, along with Mascolo, Bates, Manley, Avery Snyder and Abi George each adding a brace.
Defensively, Coastal turned the Owls over 12 times, picking up 15 ground balls and 20 draw controls. Goalkeeper Charlotte Sadler recorded five saves and three ground balls while picking up her 11th win in her first full season as a starter. Midfielder Evelyn Kitchin recorded a team-high 11 draw controls, as she has a season-high 24 in the last two games. With her performance today, Kitchin improves her season tally to 73, breaking the CCU single-season draw control record, which was previously held by current midfielder Devin Rybacki with 67 last season.
With the regular season in the books, the Chants will prepare for the ASUN Conference Championship at Rock Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. next week where they will face the No. 3 seed on Thursday, May 2, which has yet to be determined.
For complete coverage of CCU women's lacrosse, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWLAX (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com
