Flashes soccer team sweeps the weekend
Junior defender Morgan Mah is pulled back from the ball by Buffalo forward Taylor Thompson during Kent State’s 1-0 win over Buffalo October 5 at Zoeller Field. Photo by Shane Flanigan.
The women’s soccer team added a point for Kent State in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge with a 3-2 overtime win over Akron this Sunday. The Flashes also defeated Buffalo Friday with a 1-0 shutout.
The Flashes defeated the Buffalo Bulls with junior Jaclyn Dutton’s 11th goal of the season in the 49th minute.
“I think it was a very, very good offensive effort by the whole team,” Dutton said. “We had a real great clearance from the back.”
The setup of the lone goal of the game was a skillful exchange.
Senior Hannah Newhouse cleared the ball to sophomore Stephanie Haugh, who headed a flick to junior Jessacca Gironda. Gironda made a pass on the right to Dutton.
“Our work rate has been there and our physical nature of the game has been excellent. We’ve been battling,” head coach Rob Marinaro said. “Now it’s just that extra effort of having some compose on the ball and playing good soccer and I felt that there at the very end they did an excellent job.”
Freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Senn totaled five saves for the fifth shutout of the season. The Flashes outshot the Bulls 16 to 10 — with both teams having 5 shots on goal.
The Wagon Wheel Challenge game
“The team’s really excited to contribute in the wagon wheel and take care of business on that end,” Marinaro said.
The Akron Zips scored the first goal in the 5th minute of the first half. Unable to score, the Flashes ended the first half 1-0.
“I’m really proud of the team and the fight and desire that they showed coming back and not giving up at all and finding the equalizer late and taking the game into overtime,” Marinaro said.
In the 59th minute, Dutton scored the equalizing goal with assists from freshman Briana Bartolone and Haugh. Akron took the lead again in the 68th minute with a penalty kick goal.
Dutton forced overtime with her game-tying penalty kick in the 90th minute. Dutton’s two goals are her 12th and 13th of the season.
Junior Morgan Mah scored the winning, 23-yard goal in the 103rd minute. It is her first goal of the season.
“I think we started the first half a little slow and then we picked it up the second half,” Mah said. “We out played them in the second half and over time. I think that’s how the game went for us.”
Contact Erika Brun at [email protected].