During the first half of Kent State field hockey’s matchup against Ohio University, neither team was able to produce much offense. A majority of the game was played in the center, as the two teams combined for five shots, with the lone two shots on goal coming from Alison Harmatz and Courtney Weise.

Five minutes into the second half, the Flashes were finally able to put together an attack, which started with a long run down the right sideline that caused Ohio goalie Alex Pennington to slide out of the box to deflect the ball.

Luckily for Kent State, the deflection went right to Ashley Bontez, who skied the ball into the Ohio box and right at the stick of Laila Richter, who knocked the ball in for point-blank range to give the Flashes a 1-0 lead, the margin they would go on to win by.

“It was a good decision by Ashley Bontez,” coach Kathleen Wiler said after the game. “She lifted in, and their goalkeeper tends to play a lot of grounds, so we were there to finish it. It was a really good decision on her part.”

In total, the Flashes (8-9, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) finished with 10 shots, six of which were on goal. The Bobcats (4-11, 2-4 MAC) only managed to record two shots, with their lone shot on goal coming with 40 seconds left when Brittany Keen sent a shot into the top left corner that goalkeeper Kylie LeBlanc made a stellar save on.

Ines Delpech led Kent State with four shots, while Richter complimented her with three shots on goal. Kendall Ballard recorded the only other shot for the Bobcats, while Pennington recorded five saves in goal. 

The Flashes will be back in action Friday when they open MAC tournament play at 2 p.m. at Murphy-Mellis Field against an opponent who has not yet been decided.

The game also served as the team’s senior night and annual Awareness game. Nine seniors were honored before the game, and the team used the game to raise awareness for the the Integral Center of Exceptional Kids (CIANE) in Argentina.

Deplech’s brother passed away in 2015 because of a neuro-locomotor disability, and the only facility to treat his disability was far from their home of Tandil, Argentina. CIANE is working to build a all-purpose headquarters for treatment and rehabilitation for children in Tandil. 

Henry Palattella is the sports editor. Contact him at [email protected].