The Kent State soccer team utilized a strong defensive effort to shut out and defeat Ball State 1-0 Sunday to mark the team’s first Mid-American Conference victory.
This was KSU’s first win after four games of losses or ties. The win moves the Flashes to 3-3-3 (1-1) on the season. It positions the team in a seventh-place tie in the MAC. The Cardinals fell to 4-3-2 (1-1-1) on the season.
“We just gave them different ideas to create offensively,” coach Rob Marinaro said. “We sped up the possession and kept them unbalanced.”
THE BREAKDOWN
The first half remained even as both teams were scoreless. The Flashes struggled to create possessions offensively but picked up the pace later in the game.
The first half consisted of back-and-forth play as neither team could find the net. Both teams put up a defensive battle, which ultimately ended in a low-scoring game.
“Our team was really tough today,” Marinaro said. “The team’s defense was fantastic, and our possession was strong.”
The second half seemed to follow the same pattern as the first, with both teams defending well and struggling to find the net. In the 61st minute, however, the game finally flipped in favor of the Flashes. Senior defenseman Kelsey Salopek nailed a clutch shot off a corner kick from junior midfielder Samantha Miller to break the tie.
It was Salopek’s third goal of the season.
“Kelsey was huge with a set piece goal, and then we got great effort defensively from everyone,” Marinaro said. “We won the set-piece battles today, and we just sacrificed as a team for each other.”
This goal set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Flashes held the lead for the rest of the game. The Flashes’ defense continued to play well until the final whistle.
The Flashes held strong on the stat sheet with 11 shots while Ball State had five. Seven of the Flashes’ shots were on net while Ball State had two.
The Flashes also had more corner kicks at six compared to two from Ball State. KSU had 14 fouls, and two of them were yellow cards.
Junior goalie Leah Shaffer made two saves to keep the Cardinals scoreless.
“We helped our defense tactically today, and everyone played their role so well today,” Marinaro said. “Our energy to defend was our strength today, and everyone stepped up today for a great team win and our offense gave us the work and solid creativity.”
UP NEXT
The Flashes will return to Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium after a long road stretch and play five of their next six games at home. The Flashes will take on the University of Massachusetts at 7 p.m. Thursday. UMass is 3-3-2 (1-1) on the season, coming off a 1-0 win over the Akron Zips.
“We are going to just focus on the process and keep getting better,” Marinaro said.
Emily Bezjak is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
