KENNESAW STATE 4, JACKSONVILLE 1 Box Score (PDF) Box Score (XML) Photo Gallery Highlights

KENNESAW, Ga. – Senior Kim Fincher broke a scoreless tie early in the second half that sparked the Kennesaw State women's soccer team to a 4-1 victory over Jacksonville in the quarterfinals of the ASUN Conference Tournament Saturday (Oct. 29) at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.
 
Fincher's goal began a spree of four goals in a 20-minute span as the Owls (10-7-1) cruised to the win and advanced to the semifinals where they will face regular-season champion Florida Gulf Coast Friday (Nov. 4) in Fort Myers, Fla.
 
Kennesaw State was the aggressor from the outset as it quickly took possession and dictated the pace of play throughout the first half, creating several scoring chances and putting constant pressure on Jacksonville goalkeeper Sara Wicks. The Owls out-shot Jacksonville, 11-3, including 6-1 in shots-on-goal, but were unable to finish and had to settle 0-0 tie at halftime.
 
KSU continued the pressure in the second half and finally broke through when Fincher settled a deflected save of a shot by Carly Pressgove and snuck the ball past Wicks for the first score of the match at the 58:23 mark.
 
The Owls scored their second goal off a corner kick from Brittney Reed that Abby Roth headed in for a score in the 64th minute. Reed scored herself when she converted a penalty kick at 71:10 mark. Ashtah Das completed the scoring for Kennesaw State when she scored off an assist from Pressgrove in the 78th minute.
 
Kennesaw State completed the match with a 20-7 advantage in shots, including a 13-3 edge in shots-on-goals.
 
BENJI BITES
"I was really pleased with how we played. We really focused this week on sticking to the things that we're good at, which is possession and working the ball up the field, getting our numbers forward and keeping our spacing, and I thought we did a good job of that," head coach Benji Walton said. "Jacksonville has some dangerous attacking players and we were conscious of that, but also wanted to make sure we played our game. I thought we played both sides of the ball really well and stayed with our game plan and didn't get rattled when it was 0-0 at half. I am proud of the girls' consistency throughout the game."
 
WALTON ON SCORING FIRST GOAL
"It was huge. We were knocking on the door all first half, had some great looks but weren't executing. We had plenty of corners and had some good looks, but just couldn't get one to fall. We just had to stick with it. Kim's goal allowed us to relax."
 
WALTON ON ADVANCING TO SEMIFINALS
"We're excited. We talked all season about staying with the process, and this is part of the process. I just told them to enjoy this tonight, but we have to focus tomorrow because we have traveling, have to go to their (Florida Gulf Coast) house and they're the champs. We're excited for the challenge. Postseason you have to beat the best to move on, so we're going to face the best right away."
 
BRITTNEY REED ON THE WIN
"I think our team came out strong and as the game went on we got into a better rhythm and as soon as Kim scored, it lit a spark into our team and we kept scoring. We were all playing for each other and we put together a solid 90 minutes."
 
KIM FINCHER ON ADVANCING TO THE SEMIFINALS
"Obviously our goal is to win the whole thing but we have to do it one game at a time. Tonight was one of those games where I feel we all played together and each individual did what she was supposed to do, so if we can just do that again Friday when we play Florida Gulf Coast we'll have a chance to win."
 
 WHAT'S NEXT
Kennesaw State will travel to Fort Myers, Fla. to take on regular-season champion Florida Gulf Coast in a semifinal match on Friday (Nov. 4). Match time will be announced on Monday (Oct. 31).
 
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State soccer news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsSoccer or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
 
Fifth Third Bank is the Official Bank of Kennesaw State Athletics. Fifth Third Bank Stadium, the signature athletics landmark on the Kennesaw State University campus, is a world-class facility that has been recognized as one of the premier multi-use outdoor athletics venues in the country. In the fall of 2015, it become the official home of Owls football team and is home to Owls soccer and lacrosse as well.