Kent State University
Bowling Green
Flashes Set for MAC Title Game Against Bowling Green
11/5/2021 11:04:00 AM | Women's Soccer
(BOWLING GREEN, Ohio) - The Kent State women's soccer team sits on the precipice of history as it prepares to take on Bowling Green Sunday at 1 PM in the MAC Championship game.
ABOUT THE FLASHES
Given their success, it's been difficult to avoid hearing stories of the amazing run that the Kent State soccer team has been on this season. But in case anyone doesn't know about the Flashes, let's run over the highlights from their first 20 games of this fall 2021 season:
- Jumped out to a 4-3 non-conference record, with two of their three losses coming against Power-Five schools (Northwestern and West Virginia, in both of which games they held their own quite well)
- Went 7-1-3 against conference opponents in the regular season, finishing tantalizingly close to first place in the MAC
- Had three conference games end in overtime on Flashes game-winning goals (in order of occurrence: freshman midfielder Alisa Arthur's game-winner at Toledo September 30, sophomore forward Callie Cunningham's clutch goal against Western Michigan October 10, and senior defender Tianna Harris' big time shot against Miami October 14, a game which also featured a goal by sophomore midfielder Giulia Giovinazzi with two seconds left in regulation to tie things up and send it to OT)
- Seven shutouts, including five against MAC opponents
- Tianna Harris named MAC Defensive Player of the Year
- Harris, along with redshirt senior forward Cameron Shedenhelm and redshirt senior defender Karly Hellstrom, named First Team All-MAC
- Arthur, midfielder Siena Stambolich, and defender Grace Barresi named to MAC All-Freshman Team
- Through Thursday's match, Shedenhelm is first in the conference in goals with 12 and shots on goal with 36; Hellstrom is first in the MAC in assists with 11
- Shedenhelm's 12 goals this year match her career total for the combined three previous seasons in which she played, bring her new career total to a 24 (and counting), good enough for fifth place all-time in KSU history
- Junior goalkeeper Sarah Melén had the most saves in one game of any goalie in the MAC this season with 14 September 26 at Buffalo
- And of course, most importantly, the Flashes beat Buffalo 4-2 in the quarterfinal round of the MAC tournament Sunday, defeated Ohio 3-2 in the semifinals Thursday, and have now advanced to the finals for the third time ever, taking on Bowling Green
ABOUT THE FALCONS
Bowling Green finds itself in the MAC Championship game for the fifth time in a row. The three-time defending MAC champs provide a challenge for the relatively inexperienced Flashes, who have not been to the postseason since 2018. Coming in with the one-seed and home field advantage, Bowling Green most recently beat Buffalo 1-0 in the semifinals Thursday to advance to the championship.
When the Falcons came to Kent during the regular season, they knocked off the Flashes, 3-2. The deciding goal in that game was scored by Falcons forward Madi Wolfbauer, who is first in the MAC in game-winning goals with five through 19 games (Hellstrom has five as well, but over the span of 20 games). That loss to B.G. October 3 played a significant role at the end of the season in determining who would be seeded where in the MAC tournament. Had Kent State won that contest and everything else played out in the exact same way as it did, the Flashes would have ended up in Bowling Green's position with the one-seed, and the Falcons would have found themselves in Kent State's situation with the three-seed and without a first round bye.
But there's no reason to dwell on what could have been, because Kent State is very pleased with how the past month has played out. They may have had to play one more game than the Falcons down the stretch, but that just means that the Flashes had one extra opportunity to refine their craft and prepare for this game on Sunday.
And make no mistake about it: the Flashes will be ready.
Follow the Kent State soccer team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and visit kentstatesports.com for additional updates.
