Michael Moore
Kennesaw, Ga. – After starting 2-3 in their first 5 games, the women’s soccer team of Kennesaw State aimed to reach .500 on Friday in Fifth Third Bank Stadium. However, the lady Rebels of Ole Miss, traditionally led by the senior fielder, Rafaelle Souza, had their own agendas, as they held on to win against the owls 2-1.
The Ole Miss Rebels’s offense held onto the ball for most of the time during the first 20 minutes of the first half, as Rafaelle Souza made 3 corner kicks and attempted one shot which was wide of the goal.
The Owls countered with their own attempts in the middle of the first half, which included a close shot by Alma Gardarsdottir, that hit the top of the crossbar. Nicole Calder also attempted a header, but the Ole Miss keeper, Kelly McCormick, made the save, thus leaving the score to be 0-0 at the half.
Midfielder, Suzanne Arafa drew first blood for the owls as she made a penalty kick inside the box within the first 10 minutes of the second half, making the game 1-0.
Kennesaw State’s lead, however, was shortly lived as Ole Miss’s Olivia Harrison answered with a goal in less than two minutes after Arafa’s penalty strike, making it even.
Mandy McCalla extended Ole Miss’s lead 2-1, after she made a penalty kick on a questionable call outside the box. Senior Rafaelle Souza threatened to extend the lead even more as she appeared to make a goal from her corner kick, but the goal was waved off due to there being 12 players on the field for the Rebels.
The Owls had 20 minutes to make something happen, but the Rebels’s defense stood strong as they held on to win 2-1. Kennesaw State’s women’s soccer team hopes to bounce back on September 17 against Samford at 7:00 pm.
In other news, the Owls football helmet was revealed at the half after processing 10,000+ votes. Its new look includes a solid yellow color with a black stripe down the middle and the traditional “KS” symbol. Overall, the football team took one more step towards their beginning, and the women’s soccer team aims to keep moving forward after their 2-4 start.
