Kent State University
Northern Illinois
Postseason Play Begins as Soccer Hosts Northen Illinois Sunday
10/28/2023 1:55:00 PM | Women's Soccer
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State women's soccer team returns to the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Sunday, Oct. 29, when it hosts Northern Illinois at Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. The quarterfinal match will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Dane Richardson and Dan Griffin on the call.
Fans can purchase tickets for Sunday's game here. Admission is free for students.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Flashes (10-6-2, 7-4-0 MAC) secured the No. 4 spot in the conference tournament with a 2-1 win on the road against Buffalo on Thursday.
The Flashes held a 1-0 advantage at the halftime break thanks to stellar goalkeeping and a spectacular goal. Sarah Melén made four saves in the first 15 minutes of action to keep the potent Bulls offense at bay and Josie Morgan scored the go-ahead goal 38th minute to put Kent State in front. Emma Barnett sent a cross from the far sideline into the box, bouncing the ball off the crossbar before finding the feet of Morgan, who hammered home her fifth score of the year, which is tied for the highest mark among all MAC freshmen.
Buffalo was able to find the equalizer in the 54th minute but the deadlock did not last long. Alisa Arthur fielded a pass from Giulia Giovinazzi just across the midfield line and took off, beating seemingly the entire Buffalo defense in a footrace towards the keeper. After a sleek dribble move, the junior scored her eighth goal of the season and her fifth game-winner.
FAMILIAR GROUND
Postseason play in nothing new for Head Coach Rob Marinaro and the Golden Flashes, as Sunday marks Kent State's 17th appearance in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and the first since 2021. Of those 17 postseason berths, 15 have come with Coach Marinaro at the helm of the program. The Flashes sport a 9-13-5 record all-time in the conference tournament and are 2-3 when games go to penalty kicks. The Flashes and Huskies have squared off twice in postseason play and have split the two matchups - the Huskies beat the Flashes 1-0 back in 2006, but Kent State got revenge in 2016, earning a 1-0 victory of their own in the MAC Championship Game.
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
The Huskies (8-7-3, 6-4-1 MAC) are back in the postseason for the first time since 2017. NIU had the potential to host the quarterfinal match, but a 1-0 loss to second-seeded Bowling Green lands them their second matchup with the Flashes.
Eleven different Huskies have scored goals for Head Coach Michael O'Neill's side this season. Tyra King (3 goals, 6 points), Lea Gruennagel (2 goals, 2 assists) and Sahara Zingano (2 goals, 1 assist) pace the Northern Illinois attack, while Abby Zipse serves as the defensive anchor.
Sadie McGill has started all 18 games for the Huskies, totaling 1,600 minutes in net. The redshirt senior has tallied 66 saves on the year, while her 0.90 goals against average and .805 save percentage rank second- and third-best in the MAC, respectively.
SERIES HISTORY
Kent State and Northern Illinois will face off for the 29th time ever on Sunday afternoon. The Flashes hold a 13-10-5 advantage in the all-time series have beaten the Huskies in seven of the last nine matchups. Just weeks ago, however, the Huskies got the better of the Flashes in their regular season matchup, earning a 2-1 win at Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium.
UP NEXT
The winner of Sunday's quarterfinal will travel to Kalamazoo to face top-seeded Western Michigan in the MAC Semifinal on Thursday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. The Broncos ran the table in conference play, finishing the season with an unblemished 8-0-3 record.
FOLLOW THE FLASHES
For more news and information about the team throughout the 2023 season, be sure to follow the Flashes on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
