Kent State University
UMass
Kent State Ready for First MAC Weekend Doubleheader of the Year
9/24/2026 11:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
KENT, Ohio – The Golden Flashes' Field Hockey team will face off against conference opponents Massachusetts and James Madison this weekend for their second and third conference games of the year.
Kent State takes on conference-leading Massachusetts (UMass) on Friday at 2pm as part of the squad's Team Impact Game. The game against the Minutewomen marks the final matchup of a five-consecutive game homestand for the Golden Flashes. KSU then travels to Harrisonburg, Va. to take on the 1-5 James Madison Dukes for their first road test in three weeks. The conference doubleheader will be huge in separating the standings midway through the year.
Last Time Out
Kent State won their first games of the year last weekend, defeating Central Michigan 1-0 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) season opener and Bucknell 3-1 for their first non-conference victory. The two-game winning streak carries the momentum for the Golden Flashes into their fifth-straight home game of the season.
Eva Usoz scored a pair of goals against Bucknell to bring her team leading total to four. The Madrid, Spain native also has over one-third of the team's shots with 25 on the year. Torie Del Collo scored the game-winning goal against Central Michigan, while fifth-year goalkeeper Michaela Skinner tallied her first shutout of her Golden Flashes career against the Chippewas. Skinner won MAC Goalkeeper of the Week for her performances.
UMass Scouting Report
The Minutewomen are ranked 4th in the country after an undefeated 8-0 start to the season. UMass has amassed three straight shutouts to Albany, New Hampshire and MAC-opponent Ohio. Both the offense and defense are some of the best units in the country and they have two players - Amber Fairon and Niamh McKenzie - who each individually have as much (8 for Niamh) or more (9 for McKenzie) goals than the entire Golden Flashes' roster combined.
James Madison Scouting Report
The Dukes also face a ranked conference foe on Friday as they take on 16th-ranked Miami (OH). James Madison has very similar stats to Kent State and a similar storyline to the season; After losing their first five games of the season they defeated Ball State in their MAC opener to improve to 1-5. Brynna Hill is their leading scorer with three goals.
Series History
Kent State has two brief histories with both UMass and James Madison, splitting the all-time series 1-1 with the Minutewomen and going 1-7 against the Dukes. The Golden Flashes' lone win against JMU came back in 2012 with a 1-0 shutout victory.
Up Next
Kent State continues their MAC play with a home game on Friday, Oct. 2 against the Bellarmine Knights.
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