Kent State Suffers 2-1 Loss To Western Michigan
10/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Box Score
Hester records her sixth assist of the season
KENT, Ohio - The Kent State soccer team suffered a 2-1 loss on Friday evening to visiting Western Michigan in a Mid-American Conference (MAC) contest at the KSU Soccer Field. For the third straight game the Golden Flashes held an advantage in shots taken, but were unable to come away with the win.
After a scoreless first half, Kent State (5-9-0; 2-5-0 MAC) struck first when sophomore Jessica Brickman (Eastlake, Ohio / Lake Catholic) notched her first goal of the season in the 62nd minute. Brickman knocked home a loose ball in front of the net off a throw-in from senior Caitlin Hester (Worthington, Ohio / Thomas Worthington), who recorded her team leading sixth assist on the play.
“In the first half we out played them and created opportunities for ourselves, which carried over to the beginning of the second half,” said Head Coach Rob Marinaro.
The Golden Flashes lead was short lived however as Kelsey Carmichael scored less than a minute later for Western Michigan (4-9-1; 3-3-1 MAC). Carmichael's score found the back of the net after her shot from 15-yards out deflected off the KSU goalie and a defender.
In the 67th minute, Alison Szcypka fired a shot in the left corner of the goal from 13-yards out as the Broncos grabbed the 2-1 advantage.
“After we took the lead we let up a bit and allowed them to get back in the game”, said Marinaro, “It's frustrating, but we have to keep working and focus on the next game.”
The Golden Flashes held a 13-6 edge in shots taken during the second half, but their scoring opportunities down the stretch came up empty.
With a 19-8 advantage in shots taken for the game, Kent State has now outshot their opponents 59-36 in the last three games. Hester paced the team with six shots today, while sophomore Annie Messer (Dayton, Ohio / West Carrollton) had five.
Kent State keeper Kris Nelson (Springboro, Ohio / Springboro), making her first start since Sept. 5, had three saves, while Julia Francy made five for Western Michigan.
The Golden Flashes host Northern Illinois on Sunday at 1:00 pm.
NOTES: Hester leads the team with 12 total points this season ... Her six assists are tied for the fourth most in a single season at Kent State and are the most since Jen Frey had eight in 2004 ... KSU had won the last five meetings against WMU ... Kent State has averaged 19.7 shots in the last three games.
