Kent State University
UMass
Flashes Soccer Takes First Ever Trip To UMass
9/24/2026 4:21:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Amherst, Mass.- The Kent State Soccer team will head east for their first-ever trip to the University of Massachusetts on Saturday for a noon start against the UMass minutewomen.
Last Time Out
The Kent State Soccer team got off on the right foot in home Mid-American Conference play as freshman Lila Simon scored a pair of goals to lift her team to a 2-0 victory over the Miami RedHawks at home on Sunday.
The scoring started in the 23rd minute for the Flashes as Samantha Miller got a shot off from a free kick that was saved and deflected right to Simon who put the ball in the back of the net for her first goal of the day. That was enough to propel the Flashes into a 1-0 halftime lead 22 minutes later, at the break.
In the 65th minute, the Flashes stretched the field as Ava Todd sent a long pass from a free kick to Allison Collins who gave the ball to Simon, who struck the ball into the back of the net from distance for her second goal of the game. That was enough to be the difference as the Flashes defense held tough for the remainder of the game to pull out the two-goal victory.
The RedHawks were able to outshoot the Flashes in total shots by a count of 9-7, but KSU finished with four shots on goal compared to three from Miami. Miami also finished with seven corner kicks while the blue and gold recorded two.Senior goalkeeper Leah Shaffer finished with another trio of saves after 90 minutes in net on nine shots faced for the Golden Flashes.Â
Scouting UMass
The minutewomen have gotten off to a strong start in the 2026 season with an 8-1 overall record so far and 2-0 in MAC play. They have nearly doubled their overall win total from last season just two games into the conference schedule this season.
The Flashes and UMass have yet to have a common opponent so far this season while the minutewomen have defeated Ball State and Ohio by a combined score of 3-0 in the first two conference games.
Leading the minutewomen offense will be Monica Curry and Caroline Dickson who have been the most dangerous duo in the MAC so far this season. They have combined for 27 points through nine games while each contributing six goals this season. Curry has contributed two assists while Dickson also has a helper to her name in 2026.
Annie McCaffrey and Amelia Deren will also be names to watch for on Saturday as they have both produced five points off of two goals and one assist this year while Kayla Nohasiariso and Nia Hislop also have two assists each for UMass.
Starting in net for the minutewomen will be Leah Nisenfeld who has played in eight games this season. In those games she has allowed just eight goals to go with three shutouts. She has also produced 33 saves in seven recorded wins.
Series History
Saturday's meeting will be just the second all-time meeting between the two teams as UMass plays its second season in the Mid-American Conference. In last year's inaugural meeting, the Flashes took down the minutewomen in Kent by a score of 2-1.
Up Next
After a trip to Amherst, the Flashes will return home to take on two-time defending MAC champion Western Michigan at Zoeller field at Dix Stadium. First kick is set for 7 P.M. on Thursday night.
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