No. 18 Kennesaw State Knocks off No. 13 Emory

This article is originally from LaxPower.

The Kennesaw State University Owls defeated the defending SELC champion Emory Eagles 11 - 8 on a Friday night contest on the KSU Campus. This is the first time that KSU has beaten Emory and earned a spot in the South Eastern Lacrosse Conference playoffs. At the time, Emory was ranked number 13 and the Owls were ranked number 18 by the MCLA Top 23 poll.

The game was a tough battle for the final playoff spot. These two teams compete in the same division with the highly ranked Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs. Both squads had lost to TW earlier in the season. All three teams are considered highly competitive programs in the SELC. The loser of this game between Emory and KSU would be out of the playoffs. Emory drew first blood with a goal by Eric Brandel at 12:14 of the opening quarter. KSU opened up their attack answering back and held a 4 - 2 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Emory Coach David Reed then slowed down the pace of the game and kept the score close at halftime. KSU led 5 - 4 at the intermission. After the break both teams contested every groundball. Each possession by both teams was very calculated and deliberate. The Owls offense was led by Tim Minick's 3 goal effort and KSU's hard working midfielder Charles Roland producing 2 goals and 2 assists.

After three quarters KSU held a 7 - 6 lead but Emory tied it up on a goal by Ian McNabb at 13:54. The capacity crowd at the "Owls Nest" played into the efforts of the Owl players on the field. This was a terrific game to watch for the spectators. Both teams demonstrated a great desire to compete and play hard. KSU scored four goals in the fourth quater to seal the victory. Owl midfielder Mark Tortorello contributed two goals in the final tenminutes of the game.

Defensively, Noah Rosenblum recorded 7 saves in cage for the Owls. Defensemen Rory Kleown, Murray Webb and Tommy Mudrak contained the high scorers from Emory. Kennesaw State advances to the SELC playoffs in two weeks for the first time in the program's history. They are 12 - 3 and will finish their regular season against the Sailfish of Palm Beach Atlantic University on Sunday afternoon.