Kent State University
Northern Illinois University
Kent State Travels to Northern Illinois and Western Michigan This Weekend
10/11/2017 3:50:00 PM | Women's Soccer
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State soccer team (9-4-1, 5-1-0 MAC) goes on the road for the final time in the regular season to square off with Northern Illinois (7-5-1, 4-2-0 MAC) in a rematch of last year's MAC Tournament Championship game on Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. EST and Western Michigan (8-4-1, 3-2-1 MAC) on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. The Golden Flashes sit in first place in the Mid-American Conference standings with 15 points.
Last Time Out
Kent State won in dominating fashion, 3-0, against Akron last Friday night. The Golden Flashes received goals from senior Kristen Brots, freshman Isabelle Mihail and sophomore Sierra Henderson-Muschett. Kent State goalkeeper Ashleah McDonald made three saves while facing 12 Akron shots. The Flashes have won the past seven meetings against the Zips, and took a 1.0-0.5 lead in the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge.
Hayden Pascoe scored her first game-winner of the season in the 57th minute as Kent State hung on for a 1-0 win over Buffalo. For the second time this season the defense did not allow a shot on goal and recorded its eighth shutout. With the win Kent State took a two-game lead in the MAC East.
Henderson-Muschett won MAC Defensive Player of the Week for her goal and two shutout performances. It's the first time in her career she has been named a conference Player of the Week and the first for Kent State this season.
McDonald was named MAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Week. The junior biology major carries a 3.959 GPA. The award is presented to a student-athlete with a GPA of 3.0 or better and performs well during the week's competition.
Season Notes
Kent State ranks first in the MAC in goals allowed (9), goals against average (0.64) and shutouts (8), and also rank in the top-30 nationally in both statistics. The defense hasn't surrendered a multi-goal game in eight consecutive matches. The last team to score two goals against Kent State, was Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 1.
The Golden Flashes also rank second in the conference in assists (23) and third in points (59).
Kent State has won six matches with a 1-0 final score, which is the most in a season at Kent State.
Freshman Vital Kats leads the squad in goals (4) and is seventh in the MAC. She also ranks sixth in points (12) and second in conference action with three assists.
Two of freshman Isabelle Mihail's three goals have been game-winners in 1-0 matches (Sept. 7 vs. Pitt & Sept 29 at Miami).
Junior goalkeeper Ashleah McDonald leads the MAC in goals against average (0.62), save percentage (.860) and ranks second in shutouts (0.50). Her shutout at Buffalo was the 33rd of her career, which is second all-time at Kent State.
Freshman Cameron Shedenhelm scored two goals against St. Bonaventure, becoming the first Flashes' freshman to score more than one goal in a match since Donavan Capehart in 2014.Â
Freshman Karly Hellstrom tallied two assists against St. Bonaventure and is the first freshman to record a multi-assist match since her sister, All-American Jenna Hellstrom, tallied a program record four assists against Eastern Michigan in 2013. Karly Hellstrom leads the team with four assists.
Scouting Northern Illinois
The Huskies are in second place in the MAC West with a 4-2 mark in league action. Northern Illinois swept its two matches last week, defeating Miami in double overtime, 2-1 and Ball State in overtime, 3-2. Allie Ingham pounced on a loose ball in the box and scored the game-winner three minutes into the second overtime period against Miami, and Kyleigh Dominguez found the back of the net in the 94th minute to lift the Huskies to a road win over the Cardinals.
NIU's Taylor Sarver and Natalia Pena each won the MAC Offensive Player of the Week, and Defensively Player of the Week, respectively on Sept. 5. Both scored a goal in a 2-1 double-overtime win at UIC and recorded a point in a 3-0 win at Green Bay.
Lauren Gierman leads the Huskies with eight points (1g, 6a), while Taylor Sarver and Haley Hoppe are tied for the team lead in goals (3). Between the pipes Amy Annala hold a 1.22 goals against average, commands a 6-3-1 record and ranks fourth in the MAC with four shutouts. NIU is outscoring its opponents 20-15.
John Ross is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Huskies, and last season guided them to their first MAC Tournament Championship game appearance since 2006. Prior to coaching at NIU, Ross was the associate head coach at North Dakota State.
Scouting Western Michigan
The Broncos enter the weekend in fourth place in the MAC West, with a 3-2-1 MAC mark. Last week Western Michigan fell at home to Ball State, 1-0, and then won on the road at Miami with the same score. One of the best defensive clubs in the MAC, the Broncos have seven shutouts, which is second in the league behind Kent State's eight.
WMU is also second in the MAC in goals allowed (11) and goals against average (0.82). Tiffany Buckley was also named Co-Defensive Player of the Week for scoring the game-winning goal against Valparaiso on Sept. 15.
Grace Labadie leads Western Michigan with nine points (4g, 1a), and is 10th in the MAC in goals. Goalkeeper Stepahnie Heber is the anchor of the Broncos defense, and leads the conference in shutouts (7) and third in goals against average (0.82).
Lauren Sinacola is in her second season at the helm of the Broncos program, and has a career record of 21-11-2. She was previously an assistant coach with WMU for three seasons.
Series History
The series with Northern Illinois is tied at 9-9-4. The Golden Flashes have won the three previous meetings, including two matches last season. Kent State claimed its first MAC Tournament Championship against the Huskies, 1-0, on a goal in the 85th minute by Kristen Brots. The 2015 meeting at Zoeller Field was a high scoring 7-3 win for Kent State, with Donavan Capehart recording the fifth hat trick in program history. The last meeting in DeKalb in 2014 ended in a 1-1 tie, however the Huskies have a 1-6-3 decisive home advantage.
Kent State holds a 11-6-3 mark against the Broncos. Last season the Flashes rolled to a 5-1 win at Dix Stadium with five different players scoring a goal. Kent State has won five of the last six meetings, and are 6-2-1 all-time in Kalamazoo.
Up Next
Kent State will return to Dix Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. to host Toledo and Sunday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. against Bowling Green.
Follow the Flashes
Be sure to follow Kent State Soccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and in-match updates about the squad.
