Kent State University
Longwood
Kent State travels to Virginia for weekend contests
10/20/2022 1:25:00 PM | Field Hockey
The Kent State field hockey team (6-7, 4-1 MAC) travels to Virginia this weekend to face off against Longwood University in a Mid-American Conference matchup on Friday, Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 23 at 12 p.m., the Golden Flashes head to Charlottesville to take on No. 7 Virginia.
About the Flashes
The Golden Flashes are currently in a three-way tie for first place in the MAC, despite a 2-1 lost against Miami.
Last Friday the Flashes fell to Miami 2-1 in Oxford. Freshman Patricia Strunk dragged on a penalty corner, forcing a penalty stroke, which she converted on to tie the game 1-1. Kent State also fell 3-0 against No. 4 Penn State at Murphy-Mellis Field this past weekend. Sophomore Cecile van Eijck made 10 saves, her third best performance of the season.
Patricia Strunk currently leads the Flashes in goals (5) and points (13) this season. Larissa Balachick leads in assists (7) for Kent State. Goalkeeper Cecile van Eijck is ranked No. 2 in the MAC for saves (82) and is also ranked second in the MAC in shutouts per game (3).
Scouting Longwood
The Lancers (3-11, 1-4 MAC) fell to App State, 4-0, last weekend. Goalkeeper Lara Van Nunen had five saves during the game. Longwood also fell to Lehigh University 2-1 but outshot the Mountain Hawks 11-10.
Despite ranking 2 in the MAC in penalty corners (84), and No. 3 in shots (181), the Lancers have scored the fewest goals among conference teams (19). Sophomore Maroussia Walckiers is ranked No. 3 in the MAC for shots on goal (26).
Scouting Virginia
No. 7 Virginia (10-4) had a six-game winning streak then fell 1-0 to No. 12 Wake Forest last Friday. On Tuesday, Virginia won 2-1 against No. 16 Liberty University. The Cavaliers have the No. 1 strength to schedule in the country and are 7-4 against top 25 opponents.
Goalkeeper Jet Trimborn is ranked No. 3 in the country for goals against average (.875). Laura Janssen (8G,1A) and Daniela Mendez-Trendler (7G, 3A) share the team lead with 17 points.
The Series
The Golden Flashes hold a 9-4 record over Longwood. Kent State's longest win streak against the Lancers is six straight games. The past 7 matchups have been decided by just one goal, including a 1-0 Longwood win in the 2021 MAC Tournament Semifinal.
Virginia's overall record is 3-0 against Kent State. The last match up was in 2009 where the Flashes fell 8-2.
Up Next
The Golden Flashes return home to Murphy-Mellis Field for the last weekend of regular season games. Kent State takes on Bellarmine for a MAC matchup on Friday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m. Then the Flashes travel to East Lansing on Sunday, Oct 30 to face off against Michigan State at 1 p.m.
Follow the Flashes
Be sure to follow Kent State Field Hockey on Twitter and Instagram for updates on the program.
