Kennesaw State made the most of its second appearance in the Division II Women's Soccer Championship, winning the title game, 2-0, over perennial power Franklin Pierce December 6 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The Owls, who went 25-1 on the year, used two goals from freshman Laura Tucker and a fifth straight tournament shutout from senior goalkeeper Jessica Marek to win the school's first soccer crown in just the program's second year of existence.

Franklin Pierce, winner of five previous championships, finished 22-3.

"This championship took a lot of teamwork," said Kennesaw State coach Rob King. "We have a great group of players, a good coaching staff, and the support of the administration that brought us in a year early to recruit."

Tucker was named the tournament's most outstanding offensive player. She scored in each half, the first in the 24th minute when she found the corner of the net from 15 yards after assists from Catherine Clarke and Alissa Saylor.

"Alissa played a great ball in," Tucker said. "I just tried to get myself open and then re-direct it toward the bottom corner, and it happened."

Tucker added an insurance goal in the 84th minute on a close-range header after an indirect kick by Katrina Hirsch.

"We played well in spells," said Franklin Pierce coach Jeff Bailey. "I thought we dominated possession in the first half, but one defensive mistake really hurt us."

The loss was Franklin Pierce's first in a national-championship match. The Ravens have advanced at least to the semifinals 12 consecutive years. They won this year's semifinal over UC San Diego, 2-1, when sophomore Sonya Hughes scored the game-winning goal with just 14 seconds left in overtime.

Kennesaw State blanked Nebraska-Omaha, 1-0, in its semifinal match. Saylor scored the game's lone goal.

The all-tournament team consisted of Tucker and Hirsch, who was named the most outstanding defensive player of the tournament. Kennesaw State also placed Saylor, Marek, Jenae Gzehoviak and Rebecca Hall on the squad. Laura Hislop, Sonya Hughes, Martta Makila and Meghan Welcome represented Franklin Pierce, while Becca Fritz of Nebraska-Omaha, and Megan Dickey and Kristin Jones were selected from UC San Diego.

Semifinals

Second half: KS -- Alissa Saylor (Jenae Gzehoviak), 59:33.

Shots: Neb.-Omaha 8, Kennesaw St. 13. Goalkeeper saves: Neb.-Omaha (Amy Price) 5, Kennesaw St. (Jessica Marek) 7. Corner kicks: Neb.-Omaha 2, Kennesaw St. 5. Fouls: Neb.-Omaha 7, Kennesaw St. 6.

First half: UCSD -- Megan Dickey (Kristin Jones), 3:40; FP -- Laura Hislop (Sonya Hughes), 26:41.

Overtime: FP -- Hughes (unassisted), 99:46.

Shots: UC San Diego 13, Franklin Pierce 9. Goalkeeper saves: UC San Diego (Kami Poma) 2, Franklin Pierce (Aase Kibsgaard) 7. Corner kicks: UC San Diego 10, Franklin Pierce 3. Fouls: UC San Diego 8, Franklin Pierce 12.

Championship

First half: KS -- Laura Tucker (Alissa Saylor, Catherine Clarke), 23:54.

Second half: KS -- Tucker (Katrina Hirsch), 83:18.

Shots: Franklin Pierce 17, Kennesaw St. 16. Goalkeeper saves: Franklin Pierce (Aase Kibsgaard) 6, Kennesaw St. (Jessica Marek) 7. Corner kicks: Franklin Pierce 3, Kennesaw St. 5. Fouls: Franklin Pierce 9, Kennesaw St. 7.