Soccer team sweeps MAC opponents over the weekend

Flashes defeat Western Michigan in overtime thriller on Friday

Kent State women’s soccer ended the road portion of the 2012 regular season with wins against Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan — both Mid-American Conference rivals.

“Overall we came out really strong this weekend,” said sophomore Stephanie Haugh. “We played well defensively and attacking all through the team and it was just a really good weekend for us.”

The Flashes defeated the Broncos 1-0 on Friday with a last-minute goal in overtime.

With 11 seconds remaining in overtime, freshman Madison Helterbran scored her first collegiate goal when junior Jaclyn Dutton took the corner kick on the left side, sending the ball to Helterbran who headed the ball from six yards out to the far post.

Kent State outshot Western Michigan 13-5 with the Flashes taking seven shots on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Senn saved the lone shot on frame from the Broncos.

The Golden Flashes win over Western Michigan ended a four-game winless streak to the Broncos, dating back to 2008.

“It was a great start, something that we had been looking to work on quite a bit in the last few games and really the last two in particular games this weekend, started off really well so it was great to see and it was well deserved,” said head coach Rob Marinaro.

Team makes it two in a row with win over Eastern Michigan Sunday

The Flashes defeated Eastern Michigan 3-0 Sunday. It was the team’s fifth shutout in MAC play and seventh of the season.

Freshman Briana Bartolone scored the first goal of the match and her first of the season on a 35-yard free kick straight into the lower left corner in the 26th minute. Thirty seconds later Haugh scored her fifth goal of the season with an assist from senior Hannah Newhouse.

“I think that definitely after Briana’s first goal we kept going hard, we really wanted to push it in and get as many as we could in the first half,” Haugh said. “We were with the win, so it was a good advantage to have and I think the team definitely picked it up after the first goal.”

Newhouse cleared the ball from the back to Haugh, who sent the ball to Dutton for the final goal.

“I took on a couple of defenders and then I took the left foot shot and placed it in there,” Dutton said. “It was really a team effort.”

Dutton has scored 14 goals this season.

Eastern Michigan outshot the Flashes 18-13 with Kent State’s defense only allowing four shots on goal.

The Flashes near the end of the regular season with a two-game homestand at Zoeller Field. The matches will be against Northern Illinois at 4 p.m. Friday and Toledo at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The last regular season game will be against Ohio at 3 p.m. Oct. 25.

Contact Erika Brun at [email protected].