Kent State University
Kentucky
Flashes To Pay Visit To SEC-Opponent Kentucky
8/14/2026 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Lexington, Kentucky- The Kent State Soccer will continue non-conference play on Sunday as they head southwest to take on the University of Kentucky of the Southeastern Conference in a battle of 1-0 teams. First kick is set for 1 P.M. on SEC Network plus.
Last Time Out
The Kent State Soccer team opened up the regular season with a trio of goals on their way to a 3-0 win over Cleveland State in the home-opener. The victory gave the blue and gold their fourth straight season-opening win.
The first goal for Kent State came from freshman Lila Simon just minutes after she checked into the game for the first time in the 30th minute. Senior Samantha Miller sent in a chance on a corner kick and was deflected by sophomore Mia Cleroux. Simon came in for the clean up for her collegiate goal to give her team a 1-0 lead heading into the halftime break.
In the second half, KSU found some more offensive chances as graduate student Abby Breitschuch scored on a header from senior Allison Burkey in the 66th minute.Â
The Flashes sealed it in the final minute as freshman Mia Mc Lean Mercier lofted a beautiful pass to sophomore Maya Justice who used her speed to put the ball in the back of the net for the third goal of the game Kent State.
Both teams were able to put up six shots on goal while the Flashes outshot the Vikings overall by a count of 14-10. Kent State also tallied 11 corner kicks while holding CSU to just three.
Goalkeepers Emma Klein and Leah Shaffer split time in net today with 45 minutes each. Klein was able to tally up five saves while Shaffer also produced a save.Â
Scouting Kentucky
Much like the Flashes, the Wildcats opened up with a Horizon League opponent as Kentucky took down Detroit Mercy by a score of 6-0 in Lexington on Wednesday night. UK comes into the 2026 season after a 12-4-5 record (5-2-3 SEC) and a trip to the NCAA tournament.
Last year Kentucky had four players to finish the season with seven goals and two return to the roster this year in Alexis Tylenda and Anna Sikorski who each finished 2025 with seven goals and four assists. Tylenda along with midfielder Nadia Ramadan and defender Michelle Moskau were named to the 2026 SEC Preseason watchlist.Â
In the first game of the season, Ramadan finished with two goals and Tylenda added a goal. Players to also score a goal against Detroit Mercy were Kyla Dawn, Juliette Rayo and Dani Chaump. Megan Holland recorded a save in net for the Wildcats in 62 minutes.
Series History
Sunday's meeting will be the second all-time meeting between the Flashes and the Wildcats. The two schools met two years ago for the first time in Lexington where the home team came away with a 3-1 win.
Up Next
After a visit to the bluegrass state, the Golden Flashes will head back to Ohio where they will travel to In-state foe Youngstown State for another non-conference matchup Thursday at 6 P.M.
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