The Kent State soccer team played a tough match and took a hard fought 1-0 win against the Ohio Bobcats Thursday. The Flashes put up a great defensive effort to keep the Bobcats scoreless and moved 6-4-4 on the season and 4-2-1 in Mid-American conference play. 

It’s the Flashes third shutout of the season and second win in a row.

“We did not play very well, but we fought to secure three points [for a conference victory],” Coach Rob Marinaro said. “I give OU credit, they fought so hard and made the game very difficult to keep possession.”

THE BREAKDOWN

In the first half, neither team could generate any offense to set up scoring opportunities. In the 10th minute of play, senior OU defender Ella Deevers received a red card and was ejected from the game. In that same minute, Flashes sophomore forward Jules Dolinski received a yellow card. 

“Pulling of the hair is an automatic ejection, and that is what happened early in the game,” Marinaro said. “Defensively, the entire back line and Leah [Shaffer] in goal were solid.”

The stat sheet was in slight favor of the Flashes. KSU put up eight shots with four being on net. The Bobcats on the other hand had six shots and only two on goal. Both teams remained almost even in fouls as KSU had ten while the Bobcats had nine. The Bobcats had the upper hand on corner kicks, as OU had six while the Flashes had three. 

“Offensively, we had a great time finding penetration, but forwards kept composure in our possession,” Marinaro said. “Final decisions were lacking for us a bit today.”

The second half is where the Flashes started to pick up the pace offensively. 

In the 54th minute of play, junior forward Josie Morgan nailed a clutch shot in the lower left corner to put the Flashes on the board. This was Morgan’s second goal of the season. Junior midfielder Samantha Miller and sophomore defender Allison Collins provided assists on the play. 

The Flashes kept up the defensive pressure to keep the Bobcats scoreless for the rest of the game.  

“Josie had a great goal to put us ahead, and then credit to our defensive line for limiting OU opportunities,” Marinaro said. “In the second half, we adjusted to play more offensively and press higher, once we scored the goal we dropped back off.”

Junior goalie Leah Shaffer had two saves on the night after facing six shots. Shaffer has only allowed 21 goals in the entire season. Eight of those came from the Louisville Cardinals.

UP NEXT

The Flashes return to Zoeller Field once more to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies. The game is on Sunday and begins at 1:00 p.m. Northern Illinois is coming off a 1-0 win over Western Michigan. 

Looking ahead, Marinaro is seeking more consistency and improvement from the team.

“We just need more output from the group and have a much better performance on Sunday,” he said.

Emily Bezjak is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].