Soccer Preview: Golden Flashes Host Ball State in MAC Quarterfinals
10/26/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
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The Kent State soccer team (12-4-2) begins postseason play Sunday, Oct. 28 when the Golden Flashes host Ball State for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Zoeller Field.
For the second straight year Kent State tallied 12 victories during the regular season. Kent State's 7-3-1 MAC record marked the program's most conference wins since the 2004 season, when the Golden Flashes went 7-2-3 in MAC play.
Admission is free for Kent State soccer. For those that can't make the game, Thursday's will feature live stats available through kentstatesports.com. The link will be active at game time.
Kick CF!
Throughout the 2012 fall season, the Kent State soccer team is raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to not only raise awareness about the life-threatening disease, but to help a member of the Golden Flashes soccer family. Blake Smith, nephew of former Kent State soccer player Jenni Stapleton, was diagnosed with CF at the age of six and has greatly benefited from the research and advancements from the CF Foundation.
All donations the Kent State soccer team raises will go directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. To help the Golden Flashes help Kick CF, visit the team's fundraising website here.
Scouting the Golden Flashes
• Kent State concluded the 2012 regular season on a high note Thursday with a 3-0 victory over Ohio. The win, which was the team's eighth shutout of the year and sixth in MAC play, secured the fourth seed for the MAC tournament. Three different players scored in the game, including senior Sara Henderson, who notched her first career game-winning goal with her score in the second minute.
• Among 330 NCAA Division I schools, Kent State ranks 60th nationally in goals-against average (0.896) and 67th in scoring offense (1.88). Kent State joins Miami (Ohio) as the only MAC schools to rank in the top 100 nationally both on offense and defense.
• This season, eight players have scored a game-winning goal for the Golden Flashes. Only Jaclyn Dutton (3) and Madison Helterbran (2) have more than one game-winner this year.
• For the first time in program history, two players have eclipsed the 20-point plateau in the same season: Jaclyn Dutton has 33 points on 14 goals and five assists, while Stephanie Haugh has 22 points on six goals and 10 assists. Haugh is also the first Kent State player since 1998 to reach 10 assists in a season.
• Kent State is on the cusp of re-writing its recordbook in multiple categories. The team's current win total is tied for fourth all-time, while the team is approaching program standards for goals, assists and corner kicks in a season. Individually, of the 14 season statistics in the Kent State recordbook, nine season records already have an adjustment in their top five all-time, including goals, assists, penalty kicks made and shutouts.
Click here for Kent State's 2012 record book.
Kent State Tournament Notes
• Sunday will be the fifth time Kent State hosts a quarterfinal game in program history and the second time in as many years. The Golden Flashes are 1-3-0 all-time in postseason action at Zoeller Field.
• The furthest Kent State has advanced in the MAC Tournament was the championship game of the 2005 tournament; as the sixth seed, Kent State played in three straight overtime games before being eliminated in penalty kicks by Bowling Green, 3-2.
• Kent State is 3-8-2 all-time in the MAC Tournament.
• The Golden Flashes have played in five overtime games in postseason play, with two results being decided by penalty kicks.
Scouting the Opponent
• Ball State (8-6-5) went 5-3-3 in the MAC to secure the No. 5 seed for this season's tournament. The Cardinals held Miami (Ohio) to a 1-1 draw on Thursday, the first non-win for the RedHawks this season. Ball State has played in 16 games decided by one goal or less: the Cardinals are 8-3-5 in those games. Nicole Pembleton leads Ball State with nine points on four goals and an assist, while goalkeeper Aubrey Buehler boasts a 0.99 goals-against average.
All-Time Series: Kent State is 7-6-2 all-time against Ball State and on a four-game winning streak against the Cardinals. In the regular season meeting between the two teams, Kent State tallied a 2-0 win in Kent, Ohio, thanks to a two-goal effort by Jaclyn Dutton.
Next Up
The winner of Sunday's Kent State/Ball State game will advance to the 2012 MAC Women's Soccer Championship. The highest remaining seed of the four teams that advance will host the semifinals Friday, Nov. 2 and the championship game Sunday, Nov. 4.
