The Kent State women’s soccer team’s short season appears to have ended on a disappointing note, with a 1-0 loss to Ohio University. 

The Mid-American Conference said it would reschedule the team’s games that had been cancelled, but dates have not been set and the conference championship is approaching.

“Obviously it was a season we’re very disappointed in, but all in all I am super pleased with the team’s attitude,” coach Rob Marinaro said. “They stuck together and they fought hard as a group and, you know, they kept their spirits high.”

Ohio University grabbed the lead early in the game, with junior forward Abby Townsend scoring in the ninth minute. It ended up being the only goal of the game for either team. This was the third straight game in which Kent State was shut out. The Flashes made 13 shots compared to Ohio’s ten, but only three of them were on goal.

“I thought defensively we were fantastic, in front of our own goal, but we lacked a little in reading the loose balls in the offensive 18,” Marinaro said about the game. 

This was the Flashes’ fifth loss in a row, ending their season with a 2-5-0 MAC record. It was also the first game Kent State has played since March 28, due to two scheduled games last week being postponed.

“We had a lay off where we were paused for a little bit, and that became really challenging for [the players],” Marinaro said. “We got two trainings in before this game, with a week layoff, so the legs weren’t quite there for them today. We never build excuses, but it was definitely an impeding challenge for them today.” 

Kent State was scheduled to play Bowling Green State University this Saturday, but that game was postponed as well. It is unclear when the three postponed games will be rescheduled. All three games were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols in statements issued; Kent State said that “the conference is working to reschedule the contests.” 

“I think [the season] is an outlier,” Marinaro said. “It’s not anything our kids have experienced in the past. It’s a great learning experience, from all the challenges that you need to get through, and something we asked the team to do is be resilient through the moments and be optimistic for the next step ahead, and I think we’ve done that.”

Gina Butkovich is editor-in-chief. Contact her at [email protected].