Four Flashes Earn All-MAC Field Hockey Honors
11/5/2024 3:00:00 PM | Field Hockey
CLEVELAND, Ohio—The Mid-American Conference announced its yearly awards on Tuesday, including two All-MAC teams and an All-Freshman team. Kent State had four players earn honors, selected by the conference's coaches. Eva Usoz was named to the All-MAC First Team, Agustina Florio was named to the All-MAC Second Team, and Lieve Jansen and Delfina Larripa were each selected to the MAC All-Freshman Team.
Usoz earns first-team honors after leading Kent State with team-highs of eight goals, six assists, and 22 points. After winning MAC Freshman of the Year last season, the sophomore midfielder remained a leading presence for the Flashes. She has earned MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice this season, the only Kent State player to receive multiple player of the week awards this season. Usoz was crucial in multiple victories for the Flashes, scoring the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory over Ball State, both goals in a 2-1 road win at Longwood, the final goal in a 3-2 victory over Bellarmine, and a jaw-dropping overtime winner against Ohio, which landed at number two on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays.
Florio wraps up her senior season with second-team honors, serving as a captain for the Flashes this season. She is second on the team with five goals and 11 points, including crucial goals in close victories over Ohio and Michigan State. Florio also proved to be clutch by successfully converting a penalty in the Flashes' shootout at Michigan State, helping Kent State fly the flag on the road for their first non-conference win of the season.
Jansen earns an all-freshman team selection after a strong debut season in the cage for Kent State. She has accumulated a 6-7 record, including a 5-3 MAC record, and amassed 81 saves in 790 minutes played. Jansen holds a 0.736 save percentage, having faced 193 shots this season. She earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season following a nine-save performance against App State and a heroic effort in the Flashes' penalty shootout victory over Michigan State.
Larripa also earns an all-freshman team selection after starting all 17 games for the Flashes this season. She recorded the first two goals of her collegiate career with a brace against Central Michigan, helping Kent State to a crucial 7-3 victory. Larripa concluded the regular season with the most minutes played among all Flashes' freshmen with 807, ranking seventh among all players on the team.
The Flashes kick off postseason play on Wednesday, November 6, as they take on Ball State in the MAC Field Hockey Championship quarterfinal in Oxford, Ohio at 11:30 a.m.
