Game Day Preview: Soccer Entertains Toledo, Ball State

The Kent State women's soccer team concludes a four-game home stand against Mid-American Conference foes this weekend when the Golden Flashes take on Toledo Friday at 4 p.m. before hosting Ball State Sunday at 1 p.m.

Sunday's game will serve as Senior Day for Kent State's senior class of Kelly Heaton (Mississauga, Ontario), Kellyn Flanagan (Medina, Ohio), Annie Messer (Dayton, Ohio), Josee Charron (Ottawa, Ontario), Katelyn Warnke (Medina, Ohio) and student assistant Jessica Brickman (Eastlake, Ohio). The sextet will be recognized in a ceremony prior to the game's kickoff.

Both home games this weekend will feature live stats. The links (available below) will activate at the start of their respective games.

Scouting the Flashes

Freshman Jessacca Gironda (Akron, Ohio) leads Kent State with 12 points on five goals and two assists. Also having an impact for the Kent State offense are seniors Kelly Heaton (Mississauga, Ontario), Kellyn Flanagan (Medina, Ohio) and Annie Messer (Dayton, Ohio). Heaton is second in goals (3) and points (7) while Flanagan and Messer each have a goal and two assists for four points.

Defensively, Kent State is led by junior goalkeeper Kelly Sherwood (Strongsville, Ohio), who owns a 1.79 goals-against average this season. She ranks among Kent State leaders in career GAA (5^th, 1.40), shutouts (2^nd, 8) and saves (5^th, 174).

Last time out: Kent State women's soccer team showed its mettle Oct. 10, as the Golden Flashes battled toe-to-toe with defending Mid-American Conference champs Central Michigan before falling 3-2 at Zoeller Field. Senior Kelly Heaton and sophomore Hannah Newhouse (Strongsville, Ohio) each scored in the contest for KSU.

Scouting the Opponents

Toledo (10-2-2, 6-0-0 MAC), ranked seventh in the most recent NSCAA Great Lakes Region poll, has won seven straight heading into this weekend's slate, but has been pushed to overtime twice in the last three outings. Balanced scoring abounds for the Rockets, as 16 players have either a goal or an assist on the year; Kristen Lynn leads with five goals and four assists for 14 points.
The Series: Kent State is 8-6-1 all-time against Toledo, but the Golden Flashes have lost the last three games against the Rockets, all by one goal. In fact, each of the last five meetings and 12 of 15 games between the two teams have been one-goal games or ties, and four have gone to overtime.

Ball State (6-7-1, 0-5-1 MAC) started the 2010 campaign winning six of their first eight contests, but the Cardinals have been without a victory since Sept. 18. Last weekend, Ball State halted a five-game losing streak with a 3-3 draw against Bowling Green. Sarah Orisich and Missy Gordon each have three goals this season for the Cardinals.
The Series: Although Kent State trails 4-6-2 all-time against Ball State, the Golden Flashes posted a 4-0 win at home against the Cardinals in 2009.

Next Up

The Golden Flashes are back on the road next week, playing at cross-county rival Akron Friday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m. before challenging Ohio in Athens, Ohio Sunday, Oct 24 at 1 p.m.