Kent State University
Bowling Green
Soccer Readies for Road Weekend at Bowling Green and Toledo
10/11/2018 2:43:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Kent State (8-5-1, 4-2-0) continues Mid-American Conference play tis weekend traveling to both Bowling Green (8-3-0, 6-0-0) on Friday, Oct. 12th at 7 p.m. and Toledo (8-5-1, 4-2-0) on Sunday, Oct. 14th at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Golden Flashes continued their winning ways in MAC competition and beat Buffalo, 5-2, on Thursday night. The Flashes wasted no time, scoring all five goals in the first half, with sophomore Isabelle Mihail recording her second two-goal game of the year. Kent State found the back of the net in the 19th minute off of the foot of Mihail, with an assist from sophomore Cameron Shedenhelm. Just two minutes later, sophomore Maddie Holmes tallied her third goal of the home stand on an unassisted header. The Flashes connected three more times, coming from Mihail, freshman Khlya Porter and senior Dominique DiNardo. Kent State became the first team to score five goals against Buffalo since then #3 Virginia Tech in 2014.
Kent State continued its hot streak on Sunday, winning in double-overtime, 1-0, at Akron. The Golden Flashes won their fourth match in a row, and for the third time this season recorded a shutout. The first two periods were a defensive battle with the Golden Flashes leading 11-9 in shots, but unable to connect until the 102nd minute when DiNardo found the top right shelf on assists from redshirt freshman goalkeeper Faith O'Neill and Shedenhelm. O'Neill earned her second shutout in conference play, making four saves. The Flashes earned their eighth straight win over the Zips and gave Kent State a 1.5-0 lead in this year's Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge.
#FlashFacts
Kent State is in a three-way tie for second-place in the MAC standings along with Toledo and Western Michigan, who all hold 4-2 records.
Senior Dominique DiNardo scored two goals this weekend and was honored as the MAC Offensive Player of the Week. She joins Porter, Mihail and O'Neill who have garnered conference recognition this season.
Freshman Khyla Porter, junior Yasmine Hall, and sophomores Maddie Holmes, Vital Kats, and Isabelle Mihail have each scored two goals in a match this season. Isabelle Mihail recorded her second two-goal game in a 5-2 victory over Buffalo. It's the second consecutive year a freshman scored twice in the same match, as Cameron Shedenhelm accomplished the feat at St. Bonaventure in 2017. It's also the first time in program history that five different players in a single-season have recorded multi-goal games.
Senior goalkeeper Ashleah McDonald now stands atop the program record book with 36 career victories and passed Stephanie Senn (2013-15) against Syracuse on September 13th.
Goalkeeper Faith O'Neill registered an assist on DiNardo's game-winning goal at Akron in double-overtime. She's the first Kent State net minder with an assist since Stephanie Senn on October 5, 2014 against Western Michigan.
Three of sophomore Vital Kats' five goals this season have come on penalty kicks which is tied for second most in school history and second in the NCAA this season.
Kent State Picked to win MAC Regular Season and Tournament
The Golden Flashes were selected to win the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament championship in the preseason coaches' poll. Kent State has been selected to win a regular season championship in three consecutive years after they were named to win the MAC East Division in 2016 and 2017.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Falcons have won their last seven matches and are undefeated in Mid-American Conference play. Bowling Green has recorded seven shutouts on the season, five of those coming in conference matches. The Falcons swept their third weekend in a row, defeating Eastern Michigan, 1-0, and Central Michigan, 3-1. Bowling Green has nine different goal scorers this season, with Erica Hubert (8) leading the way. In MAC games, the Falcons have outscored the opposition, 14-1. The Falcons were tabbed to finish third in Mid-American Conference Preseason Poll and are led by second-year head coach Matt Fannon.
Scouting Toledo
The Rockets have won three of their last four matches, taking both matches this past weekend against Central Michigan, 2-0, and winning in overtime, 4-3, against Eastern Michigan. Hannah Scafaria has led the way on offense with a MAC-leading 13 goals. Toledo has recorded four shutouts on the season, and has been shutout just once. The Rockets were selected to finish sixth in the Mid-American Conference Preseason Poll and are led by fourth-year head coach TJ Buchholz.
Series History
Bowling Green leads the all-time series over the Flashes, 13-7-5. Kent State has dropped the past two matches against the Falcons. The Golden Flashes have won five of the last six matches facing the Rockets and lead the all-time series, 12-9-1. The last time out, Vital Kats scored the game-winning goal in the 22nd minute, as the Flashes secured a MAC East title.
Follow the Flashes
Be sure to follow Kent State Soccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and in-match updates about the squad.
