Seniors say goodbye with weekend split

Senior Abby Drake controlls the ball against Ball State, yesterday on the KSU Soccer Field. The Flashes fell to the Cardinals in a 2-1 defeat. Rebecca Moidel | Daily Kent Stater

Credit: Ron Soltys

The Kent State women’s soccer team played twice this weekend, splitting games with a win on Friday over Miami and a loss yesterday to Ball State.

Yesterday was senior day as the Flashes faced Ball State. Seniors Kimberly Dimitroff, Abby Drake, Brittany Fracasso, Amy Kessler, Lisa Kurz and Dana Neroni were honored for their achievements as Kent State soccer players. The group of six has played a large role on and off the field.

“They’re game players,” head coach Rob Marinaro said. “When they get out there they’ve always tried to give absolutely everything they have.

“That’s what we try to build our program on and they are our foundation,” he said. “Hopefully people learn from what they contributed to the program.”

Along with the coaching staff, the younger players on the team realize what an immense impact the seniors have made on them and the program. Their work ethic has been a major component to their influence.

“They’ve influenced us a lot in a good way,” freshman Josee Charron said. “All the work they’ve put in has really inspired (the underclassmen). When they leave a good mark, we’ll try and step up for them every time.”

Charron teamed up with senior forward/midfielder Kimberly Dimitroff in the second half to score the lone goal for Kent State against Ball State. Dimitroff was able to keep the ball from going out of bounds on the goal line. She then dribbled around a Ball State defender and found Charron open in the box to net the goal.

“It was a nice through ball,” Charron said. “Kimberly really did all the work. She beat the player and I was just standing there.”

The goal came at the 58:26 mark of play in the second half. Just as it has in the past, the combination of Dimitroff and Charron provided the Flashes with energy and an offensive spark.

Kent State controlled play in the second, after Ball State notched two goals late in the first half to go into halftime on top 2-0.

Despite the half-time deficit, Kent State and Ball State played a very even, back and forth opening half. Both teams had scoring chances, yet Ball State was able to find the back of the net, which gave them a 2-1 win.

“They capitalized on their opportunities and that was the difference,” Marinaro said. “I thought in the second half we really poured our hearts out and fell short. The fact that we stepped up the way we did in the second half shows that we have a lot of fight.”

Momentum for Kent State was halted in the second half when Dimitroff left the game due to injury at the 20-minute mark. The Flashes had trouble generating offensive chances without their leading scorer.

Kent State played a tough game Friday when Miami visited the KSU Soccer Field. Battling through cold wind and rain, Kent State was able to send the RedHawks back to Oxford soggy and silent as the Flashes won 2-0.

In the 25th minute, sophomore Catharine Marosszeky opened the scoring, off an assist from Dimitroff. The play started with a steal by senior Lisa Kurz in the defensive end. Kurz led play out of the zone and found Dimitroff who played the ball to Marosszeky for the goal.

The Flashes would not look back, and added another tally 10 minutes later.

Jackie Barath played a perfect cross from near midfield on a free kick. The pass found the foot of freshman forward/midfielder L.A. Thoma, who netted it for the goal.

Kent State has one more regular season game before Mid-American Conference Tournament play beings on Sunday Nov. 9. The Flashes travel to Buffalo Thursday for a 6 p.m. game time.

Both the team and its coaches are confident in their ability, and see a championship run as a distinct possibility in the MAC Tournament.

“We’re a really good team and we’ve just been unlucky,” Charron said. “We definitely can make it far in the postseason.”

“We’re capable of a lot of great things,” Marinaro said. “But our first sight needs to be a win on Thursday.”

Kent State is now 5-5-0 in the MAC, owning a 7-9-1 overall record.

Contact soccer reporter Chris Gates at [email protected].