Late Goal Gives Soccer its First MAC Tournament Championship in Program History

Sunday, November 6

Kent, Ohio

1:00 p.m.

Kent State University

15-2-2 (8-1-2MAC)

Northern Illinois University

5-11-5 (3-6-2MAC)

Northern Illinois

Kent State

Photo by: Nate Manley

Late Goal Gives Soccer its First MAC Tournament Championship in Program History

11/6/2016 6:50:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

KENT, Ohio- Kristen Brots' 86th minute goal was the difference maker as Kent State soccer defeated Northern Illinois 1-0 to capture its first Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship in program history.

It was a tightly contested contest for the duration of the 90 minutes as both teams had several great chances to score and played excellent team defense.

Jenna Hellstrom nearly got the Golden Flashes on the board in the first half as she beat several defenders on a breakaway and fired a shot from inside the 18-yard box that was deflected out of bounds by the Northern Illinois keeper.

Heading into the break, Kent State had the advantage in shots on goal at 3-1, two of which came from Hellstrom and the other coming from Kristen Brots.

Kent State's keeper Ashleah McDonald came up huge in the second half, making five saves. McDonald made several well-timed saves by leaping and tipping the ball over the crossbar on long distance shots from Northern Illinois.

The game-winner for Kent State would come with just under five minutes to play in regulation following a Hellstrom corner kick. After Hellstrom played the ball in, it bounced around before making its way to Abbie Lawson who fired a shot off a Northern Illinois defender, deflecting to a waiting Kristen Brots who tucked the ball into the lower corner of the net. The game-winner was Brots' fourth goal of the season and the ninth of her career.

The Kent State defense tightened down on the Huskies for the remaining four minutes of the match, allowing just one shot to close out the game and the championship for the Golden Flashes.

With the win, Kent State soccer's 2016 senior class of Jenna Hellstrom, Abigail LaVigna, Abbie Lawson, Brittany Maisano and Morgan Williams are the winningest class in program history with a total of 48 wins.

The victory also gives Ashleah McDonald her 14th win this season, a new Kent State single season record. McDonald's six saves gave way to her seventh shutout of the season and the 11th of her career.

Head coach Rob Marinaro got a very special birthday gift Sunday, capturing his first MAC Tournament Championship in his 16th season as head coach of the Golden Flashes.

With the championship victory, the Golden Flashes have clinched the first birth into the NCAA Tournament in program history. Kent State will learn its tournament destination tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. during the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Selection Show. Check back into kentstatesports.com or @KentStSoccer on Twitter for updates regarding the Golden Flashes.