Kent State Soccer Opens Up 2026 Campaign As Host To Cleveland State
8/11/2026 4:47:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Kent, OHIO – The Kent State Soccer team will kick off their 2026 season on Thursday night as the Cleveland State Vikings of the Horizon League will come to town for a 7 P.M. kick at Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium.
The Team
Head Coach Rob Marinaro returns 19 players from a Golden Flashes team that produced an 8-6-6 overall record (6-4-3 MAC) with a trip to the MAC Soccer Tournament in Columbus.
A strong veteran presence returns on both sides of the pitch as the Flashes bring back leading goal scorers in seniors Samantha Miller and Josie Morgan. KSU returns 83% of their scoring production from a year ago.Â
Other notable returners on the offensive end include sophomores Isabelle Leofanti and Mia Cleroux who scored two goals a year ago. Graduate Student defender Abby Breitschuh also contributed a pair of goals in 2025.
On the defensive side, the blue and gold will return Juniors Allison Collins and Ali Weibel as well as seniors Allison Burkey and Ava Todd. Senior Leah Shaffer returns as a goalkeeper who started all 20 games last year for Kent State and accumulated 73 saves and six shutouts throughout the year.
The Flashes will also have six newcomers looking to make an impact entering their first seasons in collegiate soccer. Lila Simon comes in as an All-American forward from Monclova, Ohio.
Clara Monck and Mia Mc Lean Mercier also hope to be strong pieces on the defensive end in year one as members of the U17 Canadian National team. Zsofia Jakab, Mary Mascaro and Jordan Levenhagen also enter in their first seasons at Kent State.
Scouting Cleveland State
The Vikings finished their 2025 campaign with a 4-6-7 record while finishing eighth in the Horizon League with a 1-3-6 conference record. The Vikings bring back Cortlyn Hefty who scored four of the team's 17 goals a season ago.Â
Seniors Rauri Dever and Nikolina Miskovic return as anchors of the defense. Hayleigh Lewis returns as a graduate student who started 13 games and made 65 saves for CSU in 2025.
Series History
Thursday will mark the fifth time in six seasons the two teams have opened up the season against each other. It will also mark the 19th all-time meeting between the two Northeast Ohio schools. The Flashes currently hold the series lead with a record of 13-2-3 with the Flashes taking the season-opening win a year ago 1-0 in Cleveland.
Up Next
Following Cleveland State, the Golden Flashes will head south for a road contest against the University of Kentucky of the Southeastern Conference on Sunday for a 1 P.M. start in Lexington.
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