Kent State University
Ohio
Flashes and Bobcats Square Off to Determine Regular Season Champ
10/27/2021 12:06:00 PM | Women's Soccer
(KENT, Ohio) - Thursday afternoon at 3 PM, the Kent State women's soccer team travels to Athens to take on Ohio in a high stakes, winner-takes-all game to determine the regular season champion of the Mid-American Conference.
About the Flashes
Kent State enters this final game of the regular season riding high coming off of a 2-1 road victory over Eastern Michigan Sunday. The Flashes, who sit at 11-4-2 on the season and 7-1-2 in the MAC, are on a hot streak, having only lost once in the month of October. This is due in large part to the consistent excellence of redshirt senior forward Cameron Shedenhelm, who's scored six goals this month and 10 overall, which is tied for first in the MAC. Fellow redshirt senior Karly Hellstrom has been a dominant force for the Flashes as well, racking up 10 assists in 17 games, which is three more than the next highest total in the conference. Shedenhelm and Hellstrom are also second and fourth in the MAC in points.
A tremendous amount of credit is also due to the Kent State defense, which starts with junior goalkeeper Sarah Melén, who has only allowed 23 goals this season, posting six shutouts along the way. Other members of the defense have also played a major factor in the Flashes finding as much success as they have this year, such as senior defender Tianna Harris, who, in addition to playing stellar defense all year, has also been a key contributor on offense. Harris has found the back of the net four times this year and tacked on an assist as well for a total of nine points. One of those goals came in overtime against Miami, when the Flashes tied the game up with two seconds to go in regulation, before Harris' game-winner in the 95th minute sealed the deal on the comeback and showed the rest of the conference that Kent State was for real.
Before the season began, Kent State was picked to finish ninth in the conference in the preseason coaches poll. But now, as the regular season draws to a close, the Flashes have already immensely exceeded expectations. No matter what happens on Thursday, the worst that the Flashes can finish is third in the MAC, which truly speaks to the leadership and quality coaching provided by head coach Rob Marinaro and his staff. Marinaro could potentially win MAC Coach of the Year for his masterful job of finding a way to balance a team full of veterans and newcomers this year, with this, his 21st season at the helm of the Kent State soccer program, quite possibly serving as his best.
About the Bobcats
Ohio comes into play Thursday with an identical record to Kent State in both conference and non-conference competition. Having sat in the first place slot for a decent amount of time, the Bobcats have played very well this season, only losing once in the month of October, just like Kent State. Unfortunately for Ohio though, their loss came at a very inopportune time, falling 3-2 to Central Michigan Sunday. Had Ohio won that game, they would have clinched the title of Co-Champion, with the potential for that to improve simply to Champion had Kent State and/or Bowling Green faltered. But instead, the Bobcats lost and the Flashes won, meaning that the two clubs are tied heading into the last game of the season, which just so happens to be when they play each other.
It's somewhat difficult to pinpoint exactly what has been the key to Ohio's success this year. With the Flashes, it's simple: Shedenhelm and Hellstrom have been monsters offensively. But with Ohio, the situation is not that simple. The Bobcats' highest scorer is sophomore forward/midfielder Shae Robertson with five, which is only half of Shedenhelm's total. Robertson also leads the team in points with 11; Shedenhelm has 24.
But regardless of how the Bobcats score their goals, whether its primarily from a select few players like the Flashes or if they spread their scoring across many players, they're finding ways to put points on the scoreboard and win games. Part of that winning can also be traced to their defense, and to senior goalkeeper Sam Wexell, who ranks in the top three in the MAC in saves, goals against average, and shutouts per game. Ohio has held their opponent scoreless on nine different occasions.
Postseason Implications
Depending on what happens on Thursday, a multitude of scenarios could occur, wherein Kent State could head into the MAC tournament with either the one, two, or three seed. If the Flashes win, the result is simple: they get that coveted number one seed and have home field advantage throughout the tournament. But if they lose or tie, the seeding gets a bit trickier. With Ohio tied with the Flashes in the record department and Bowling Green nipping at both of their heels, the Falcons could potentially move into the two seed if they win their game against Toledo and jump over the loser of the KSU-OU game. In the six-team tournament, the first and second seeds are particularly desired, due to the fact that those two teams get a first-round bye and advance straight to a home semifinal contest next Thursday. But even the three seed guarantees a home playoff game; it just means that club would have to play one extra game in order to win it all.
So as the Flashes prepare for this all-important game Thursday, let's take a moment to appreciate how far they've already come this season. But at the same time, may the hope and anticipation of what's to come the rest of the way keep us looking forward to an even brighter tomorrow.
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