Kent State University
Central Michigan
Flashes Face Off with Central and Eastern Michigan as MAC Tournament Nears
10/20/2021 12:15:00 PM | Women's Soccer
(KENT, Ohio) - As the regular season draws to a close, the Kent State women's soccer team prepares for a weekend of games against Central and Eastern Michigan. They play Central Michigan Thursday night at 7 at Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium for the regular season home finale, before traveling to Ypsilanti, Michigan to take on Eastern Michigan Sunday at 1 PM.
About the Flashes
Kent State enters the weekend with an overall record of 10-4-1 this season, including a record in the MAC of 6-1-1. That 6-1-1 mark within the conference is tied for second place in the MAC, although if the season were to end today, the Flashes would have the third seed, due to Bowling Green holding the tie-breaker over the Flashes. But with three games left on the schedule, Kent State has already clinched a spot in the tournament, and could potentially grab the number-one seed before all is said and done. Head coach Rob Marinaro and his staff deserve a great deal of credit for getting Kent State to this point, guiding a roster comprised of a large amount of inexperienced players in a direction wherein they could be successful.
Additionally, the veteran leaders on the roster, such as redshirt senior forward Cameron Shedenhelm, redshirt senior forward Karly Hellstrom, senior defender Tianna Harris, and junior goalkeeper Sarah Melén, have set a tone of excellence for the rest of the team, with the younger players following their lead. Shedenhelm has had a tremendous season, accumulating nine goals, four assists, and 22 total points through 15 games played, ranking among the top players in the entire conference. Hellstrom leads the MAC with nine assists, Harris scored the game-winning goal in overtime against Miami last Thursday, and Melén has helped the Flashes clinch six shutouts this season.
Riding high on a four-game winning streak, the Flashes mostl recently defeated Ball State at home on Senior Day Sunday, 3-0.
About the Chippewas
Central Michigan is 7-7 on the season and 4-4 within in the MAC, tying them with Miami for sixth-place in the conference standings. They've lost their last two matches, including a 1-0 overtime loss to Bowling Green Sunday. The Chippewas haven't seen a whole lot of offensive production thus far this year, only scoring 13 goals in 14 games, for an average of less than one goal per game. Redshirt freshman forward Gaelle Wells leads the team in goals with three, and sophomore forward Jaelyn Dobrowolski is first on the team in points with eight. Sophomore goalkeeper Allison LaPoint has 61 saves and a 0.836 save percentage.
The last time the Flashes and Chippewas played each other in 2019, the game resulted in a 1-1 tie.
About the Eagles
Eastern Michigan comes into the weekend with an overall record of 2-10-3 on the year, including a conference record of 1-5-2. They tied in their most recent game against Toledo, following three straight losses. With only 10 goals through 15 games, the Eagles are scoring a mere 0.67 goals per game. Opponents have 26 goals against them, good enough for 1.73 goals per game. Eastern Michigan also has nearly half of the shots taken on the season as their opponents, 144-280. However, the Eagles have nearly double the amount of saves as their opponents, 100-52. Those have been split up between senior Chelsea Abbotts and sophomore Rebecca Przybylo. Offensively, redshirt junior forward Madeline Olson leads the team in goals with two.
In their last match against each other in 2019, Eastern Michigan defeated Kent State in overtime, 3-2.
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