Flashes Defeat Bobcats to Clinch No. 5-Seed in MAC Tournament

Friday, October 30

Athens, Ohio

3:00 p.m.

Kent State University

(4-5, 5-13)

Ohio

(7-9, 4-5)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Kent St.	0	2	0	1	3
Ohio	0	0	0	1	1

MK Finnan driving the ball down the pitch against Ohio

10/30/2026 7:35:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

ATHENS, Ohio – The Kent State Field Hockey team were victorious against Ohio in the regular season finale, beating the Bobcats 3-1 on Friday afternoon.

The win was extremely important for Kent State as the Golden Flashes now finish the regular season as the No. 5-seed in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Kent State will face No. 4-seed App State in the first round of the MAC Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 11:30 in the morning.

The other first round matchup in the MAC Tournament is No. 3-seed James Madison against No. 6-seed Ohio. The Dukes lost a close battle with 4^th-ranked UMass 0-3 to finish the season with a 7-2 conference record. Meanwhile, the UMass win completes the Minutewomen's undefeated conference season and their second consecutive MAC regular season championship.

Along with UMass, 11^th-ranked Miami (OH) will also be receiving a bye in the first round of the MAC Tournament.

Kent State had one of their most statistically dominant wins of the season on Friday over Ohio, outshooting the Bobcats 19-3 with a 10-2 shots on goal advantage. Meanwhile, on the defensive side, Michaela Skinner nearly had her second shutout of the season as the Golden Flashes held the Bobcats scoreless through the first 57 minutes of the game. Ava Florence scored the lone goal for the Bobcats off a penalty corner for her fifth goal of the season. Ohio was also held to no shots on goal until four minutes into the final quarter.

The Kent State offense included three goals by three different Golden Flashes. Addie Gagnon broke the scoreless tie a minute into the second quarter off a slicing pass downfield by Maybritt Duwel. Gagnon now has the second most goals on the team with three on the season. Duwel now leads the team with four assists. Both Duwel and Gagnon are second on the team with eight points each.

After missing a month due to injury, Mary Kate Finnan scored her second goal of the year in just her fourth game back to the pitch. The Mullica Hill, N.J native has been insanely efficient this year with her only two shots both finding the back of the net. The goal was scored six minutes into the second quarter and was assisted by Riley Welsch and Alexa Knott. Welsch has three assists on the year, while Knott has two. Kent State took the 2-0 lead into the half.

Kent State completely controlled possession of the ball in the third quarter, not allowing a single Ohio shot to get off. The score was still 2-0 heading into the fourth quarter with the momentum clearly in the Golden Flashes' favor.

Just 110 seconds into the final frame, Eva Usoz broke her single-season personal record with her 10^th goal of the season. Usoz dribbled the ball through several Bobcat defenders for half the length of the pitch before squeaking the ball behind Ohio goalkeeper Molly Schreiner.

Overall, Kent State ended the regular season with a complete team win. Over half of the Golden Flashes who played tallied a shot while the team defense was suffocating all game long.

Up Next

Kent State takes on App State on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 11:30am in the first round of the MAC Tournament in Oxford, Ohio. The postseason matchup is a rematch of the Golden Flashes' regular season overtime loss to the Mountaineers.

Follow Kent State Field Hockey
For complete coverage of Kent State Field Hockey, download the official Kent State Golden Flashes app (iOS, Android) and follow the Golden Flashes on social media on X, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates.