GCSU |

It’s now been almost 6 months since Kennesaw State Club Speedball won the first Ramsey Cup over Georgia Tech and Georgia College…..

6 months have passed and now KSU is sitting at 0-2 in the league standings for seeding in the spring, trying to play catch up. Whether due to break down in communication between players or a break down in commitment, Kennesaw State’s Speedball team looked a mere shadow of itself in their first 2 games of the Fall season. Many defensive errors and a drop in team chemistry have left the team reeling after losing by their largest margin ever in their home opener against Tech.

Although long time veterans such as Keya Karimian, Ryan List, Santiago Sierra, Kevin Carbone and new comers Sean Naylor and Mike Leger showed moments of brilliance, it was outweighed much more significantly by the loss of communication among the Owls and their lack of fitness. Slumping to a 12 point loss to the Yellow Jackets was only followed by more heartache at the hands of Georgia College in their first home game of the season.

After a beautiful drive from Kennesaw down to Milledgeville, KSU Club Speedball was looking to bounce back after the Tech loss, albeit with only 12 strong to show up. As soon as the team arrived, however, it became much more of an uphill battle as Georgia College’s team boasted a stout 20 athletes. With both teams out to prove a point; Kennesaw to try and rebuild the team’s confidence and GCSU trying to prove they have become a better team, it was Georgia College who eventually won the day. A close call when it was all said and done, the 17-21 scoreline did little to cover the holes that had been poked in Kennesaw’s once machine-like passing offense. GCSU celebrated the growth that had taken place in their team while KSU’s team faced a slightly-less-than-beautiful drive back to campus.

Kennesaw’s Speedball team now looks ahead to their second game against GCSU in Kennesaw at the Perch in the hopes of sparking the kind of game play that won them the championship last year….

Kennesaw State’s previous game against the Bobcats of GCSU was one of utter execution. Leaving their field with a 67-29 scoreline was enough to keep every visiting player happy headed in to KSU’s spring break. Little did the team know that once they came back home to play GCSU again, they would be in for a completely different match.

The team’s preparation was drastically different with GCSU having practice every day of the week leading up to the game while the Owls were off on vacation. Both teams were hungry for a positive result and it immediately showed in the first five minutes. KSU was first on the board, but the Bobcats were hot on their tail for much of the first half. Obnoxious bickering between the teams and the ref, however, threatened to turn the already intense rematch in to an all out brawl. Furious players on GCSU’s squad continually fought the official’s calls in the game and tensions were coming to a head between many of the players on the field. Luckily the halftime reprieve was in favor of the Owls with a 29-24 lead.

After the halftime interval, when both team captains got a chance to speak to their respective teams and the official, the second half started with a lot less chaos. Game play happened more smoothly from then on and there was much less to argue about. The game itself was turning into a shoot-out however as both teams refused to lose. Coming down to the last seconds of the game, it was KSU’s ball with :46 left on the clock, and only holding a 2 point advantage. A heavy punt by Ryan List of Kennesaw State fell right in to the hands of Josh Harrison of GCSU at mid-field and the game had become sudden death. Working the ball around Kennesaw’s woeful defense for the last fifteen seconds afforded GCSU the opportunity to tie up the game, which they executed with precision. The final whistle blew; 40-40 the final score.

While it will be noted that this game gave precedent for a rule change in the conference that there will be no more draws, GCSU was content to leave with a draw while the Owls were growing irritated and angry for allowing it to come to an end without a definitive result. Out played in the last few minutes and tactically outwitted, the Bobcats can look forward to another meeting against KSU at the Inaugural Intercollegiate Speedball Cup in two weeks time. Before then, however, The Owls will have one more game to revamp their strategy while hosting their rivals, the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech…