Kent State University
Central Michigan
10/31/2026 12:15:00 PM | Women's Soccer
KENT, Ohio- The Kent State Soccer team gears up for their final regular season game of the year on Sunday when the Central Michigan Chippewas come to town to Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium for a 1 P.M. kick. With a win or a draw, the Flashes would clinch a spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the 19th time in 27 years as a program.
Last Time Out
The Kent State Soccer team extended their unbeaten streak to five games on the road on Thursday night with a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Bulls in Mid-American Conference play.
The Flashes got the offense flowing early in the first half as senior Samantha Miller was able to put the ball in the back of the net for her fourth goal of the season off an assist from Allison Burkey in the 10th-minute.Â
The Bulls would answer 18 minutes later with good offense themselves in front of the net as Maya Galko scored. Both teams held their opponent scoreless throughout the remainder of the first half to keep tied heading into the break.
The blue and gold took no time to respond in the second half as they seized the opportunity in the 48th-minute. Freshman defender Mia Mc Lean Mercier was able to score the first goal of her career on a superb touch from a set-piece assist by Miller. That was enough to put the Flashes over the edge in their third straight game-winning goal in a contest that ended 2-1.
Shots from both teams were relatively even as the Bulls outshot the Flashes by a count of 10-8, but Kent State finished with six shots-on-goal compared to Buffalo's five. UB also won in the corner kick category over KSU by a count of 4-2.
Senior Goalkeeper Leah Shaffer played all 90 minutes in net for the Flashes in her return back to Western New York. On 10 shots faced, she was able to produce four saves while giving up just one goal.
Scouting Central Michigan
The Chippewas come into the matchup with an overall record of 2-10-5 and 0-6-4 in conference play in search of their first MAC victory. Earlier this season, CMU forced notable draws against Miami, Toledo and UMass.
Leading Central Michigan offensively will be Ella Betzold who has produced nine points this season off of four goals and one assist. Jordan Bailey is second on the team in scoring with seven points from three goals and one assist. Naomi Phillips leads the team in assists with three to go along with two goals, while Kylee Weed has also scored two goals and an assist.
In net for CMU will be Jaida Kershaw who has played all 1,530 minutes as the goalkeeper this season. On 248 shots faced, she has produced two shutouts and 82 saves which leads the MAC. She has also accumulated a save percentage of .739 and a Goals Allowed Average of 1.71.
Series History
Thursday's game will be the 31st all-time meeting between the Flashes and the Chippewas, as CMU currently leads the series by a count of 12-11-7. Last year, both teams tied up in Mount Pleasant, while the Golden Flashes won the previous two meetings before that.Â
Up Next
After hosting the Chippewas for the final regular season game of the season, the Flashes will await the results of Sunday in their match-up as well as others to determine if they compete in the MAC Tournament next week in Columbus.Â
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