Kennesaw State was in Jacksonville, Florida, in March 2020 when the team got word its season was canceled. Instead of preparing to take the field against the Dolphins the following day, the Owls got right back on the team bus and headed back to Georgia.

On the bus ride home, attacker Siena Gore made up her mind: she would return for a fifth year.

“I called my mom and I told her, ‘I don’t care how — I’m coming back for a fifth year,’” Gore said. “I just knew it. I love lacrosse. I love my teammates and coaches and the program. There really wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I would come back for a fifth year.”

Gore has racked up plenty of accolades in her career at Kennesaw State: 2019 ASUN Player of the Year; 2018, 2019 and 2021 first-team all-ASUN and 2018 ASUN player of the year. But Gore’s unprecedented success and leadership may set her 2022 campaign apart from all the rest.

“She’s had a great career in all five years here, but this year is extra special,” coach Laura Maness said. “She’s become a key offensive person. She’s always been that. She’s always been crucial on the draw controls as well. But, from a leadership standpoint, she’s grown and matured.”

Now Gore, already a standout, is experiencing the season of a lifetime during her fifth and final season with the program. She leads the program in all-time points and goals, ranks first in the NCAA with 53 goals and third nationally in goals per game and has tallied nine goals twice this season.

Her offensive prowess has played a significant role in Kennesaw State’s historic success in 2022. The Owls currently sit at 7-4 — their strongest start to a season since the program launched in 2013.

Beyond Gore, five other Kennesaw State players have racked up double-digit goals this season, and two others — graduate attackers Bailey Wilson and McKenzie Jackson — have recorded 20 or more draw controls. Maness said Gore’s teammates on the attack have done a strong job working off her, stymying their opponents’ defenses.

“Other teams can’t just put her in a faceguard and be done with it,” Maness said. “The other girls are going to step up and fill that role. It’s become more of a chess match, where teams have to decide how they’re going to handle Siena and the other six players offensively.”

All but one of the Owls’ starters from 2021 returned, including three fifth years. Their contributions and the team’s overall maturity have been key, Maness said. Kennesaw State also began running a new offensive formation this year, she said, which has helped with shot placement. Now, the Owls rank fifth in the nation in shooting percentage.

Both Gore and Maness said they hope her success on the stat sheet draws attention to the Owls’ desire to grow and get better.

“Hopefully these young athletes can see the name Kennesaw State and start to recognize what a great lacrosse program Kennesaw is,” Gore said. “It’s going to be, in a few years, one of the best [places] to come play lacrosse.”

Gore, a Georgia native, called it a “dream come true” to spend five years playing at Kennesaw State — and four alongside her twin sister, Marissa, who graduated in May. She credited her coaches and teammates for her historic success, saying her accomplishments are a “testament to them and how amazing they are.”

But before she graduates, she has her eye on one goal: winning a conference championship.

“We’re focused on those [early season] games and we want to win them, but we see them as preparation for conference, so that we can learn from those games, get better and win a conference championship,” Gore said.