Kennesaw State Pulls Off Stunner

This article is originally from LaxMagazine.

By Jac Coyne

The Owls' victory over the Yellow Jackets was thorough. KSU had enough goals for the win after the first quarter when it raced out to a 3-0 lead, and senior goalie Andrew Flood closed the door with 16 saves and just two goals against. Junior middie Casey Newton scored four goals and sophomore middie William DeKeyser added a hat trick to give Kennesaw more than enough scoring.

Tech's inability to hang with KSU, which is ranked No. 20 in MCLA-II, was the product of a couple of issues. First, the Ramblin' Wreck probably thought they were playing a team in disarray.

Ken Byers, who led Kennesaw to the cusp of the MCLA tournament during the past two seasons, suddenly stepped down after the end of the 2011 season. This elevated Grizanti to the head spot.

"Coach Byers felt the program had matured and it was time for a change," Grizanti said. "Coach Byers has done so much for the program and got it to the point where it is now. I was able to take over and have the foundation for a successful season."

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While wins over Division I teams don't technically hold more weight in the selection criteria, it's always good to show your attributes against the chair of the MCLA selection committee (Georgia Tech head coach Ken Lovic). So in that way, the Owls are off to a good start on their quest to make their first appearance at nationals. A better schedule, including a trip to the Midwest, will help as well.