Kent State University
UMass
Kent State Soccer To Face UMass In First-Ever Conference Meeting
9/24/2025 9:50:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Kent, Ohio- The Kent State Soccer team returns home for the first time in 28 days, after a five-game road trip to take on the University of Massachusetts in conference play on Thursday at Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Golden Flashes earned their first conference victory of the season on Sunday as they grabbed a 1-0 win on the road against Ball State.
After a scoreless first half, Kelsey Salopek put the ball in the back of the net in the 61st-minute from a corner kick from Samantha Miller for the second consecutive game. That goal and her efforts on the back-line were enough to earn Salopek MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
A couple of stops on the defensive end and a pair of saves from Leah Shaffer in the final 29-minutes were enough to come away with the win for KSU. The Blue and Gold dominated the corner kicks department 6-2 while also outshooting the Cardinals by a count of 11-7.
Scouting UMass
UMass has produced a 3-3-2 record so far in the 2025 season; they are off to an even 1-1 split in their first two games in the MAC conference. They bring a good amount of experience back from a team that finished last year with a record of 13-5-3, even reaching the A10 Championship game.
One of those returners includes the anchor of the defense which is graduate student Sarah DeFreitas. Returning on the offensive end are sophomores Amelia Bloom and Morgan Bellamy who have each recorded two goals and an assist this season.
Kaila Steen, Peyton Costello and Amelia Deren will also be names to look out for as each have scored one goal in the first eight games of play.
Series History
Thursday's matchup will be an historic one. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools, as UMass enters the Mid-American Conference as a new member this season.
Up Next
After hosting UMass, the Golden Flashes will stay home at Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium to host the University of Buffalo on Sunday at 1 p.m for the second of a three-game homestand.
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