Kent State University
Toledo
Soccer Ready to Bounce Back Against Toledo
10/1/2022 2:25:00 PM | Women's Soccer
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State soccer team is back home following a pair of road matchups and is set to host Toledo on Sunday, Oct. 2, as part of Kent State's Homecoming weekend. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
Last Time Out
The Golden Flashes (2-6-2, 2-1 MAC) lost a physical matchup against the Western Michigan Broncos on Thursday, falling 3-1. The loss was the team's first in Mid-American Conference play this season.
The Flashes' lone goal was scored by sophomore Siena Stambolich. With just seconds remaining before the halftime whistle, the Ontario native intercepted an attempted clearance just outside the 18-yard box, took one step, and fired a screamer that crept past the outstretched arms of the diving keeper just inside the left post.
Stambolich has two goals on the year, the second-most on the Flashes, and has scored in back-to-back games.
Double Trouble
A pair of Flashes earned MAC Player of the Week honors on Tuesday following their strong showings during the conference's opening weekend. Freshman Kelsey Salopek was named the Offensive Player of the Week after tallying three goals in two games. She scored twice against Ohio on Thursday, including the first goal of her collegiate career, and added another against Akron on Sunday. Junior Dalaney Ranallo earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after helping lead Kent State to a pair of shutouts while adding two assists, both of which were knocked home by Salopek. Against Akron, Ranallo and the Kent State defense held the Zips to just six shots, none of which were on goal, and only two corner kick opportunities.
Scouting the Rockets
Toledo (1-6-3, 0-2-1 MAC) dropped their second consecutive match on Thursday, losing to Buffalo 1-0. The Rockets are led by graduate student Morgan Otteson, who played her first four years of collegiate soccer at Western Michigan. Otteson leads all current MAC players in career goals (26) and points (64) and is second in assists (12). She leads the Rockets with five goals scored this year. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Karson Hill has appeared in eight games for Toledo and leads the MAC with 50 saves and 6.25 saves per game.
Series History
Sunday's match will mark the 28th meeting between the Flashes and Rockets. Kent State has won the past three matchups, extending its lead in the all-time series, 16-9-2.
Last season, the Flashes topped Toledo twice. In the regular season, Callie Cunningham scored early and Alisa Arthur scored in overtime as Kent State won a thriller, 2-1. The intrastate foes met again in the first round of the MAC Tournament, but that one did not need an extra period. Kent State won 4-2 thanks to goals by Stambolich and Giulia Giovinazzi.
Follow the Flashes
For more information on the Kent State soccer team, follow Kent State Soccer on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and visit kentstatesports.com for additional information.
