Kent State University
Michigan
Kent State Set to Play Michigan and Vermont in Ann Arbor Weekend Series
9/3/2026 10:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
KENT, Ohio – The Golden Flashes' Field Hockey team is heading north to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on the 8th-ranked Michigan Wolverines and the Vermont Catamounts.
The University of Michigan will be hosting both contests at their home stadium, Phyllis Ocker Field. Kent State will first take on Michigan on Friday at 5 p.m. and then face Vermont on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Golden Flashes lost both neutral site games in their opening weekend to start their season off with an 0-2 record. Kent traveled to reigning national champion Northwestern's Lakeside Field where they first were defeated by Lafayette, 1-2.
Fifth-year Liberty transfer goalkeeper Michaela Skinner shined in her first game as a Golden Flash, tallying four saves and letting up just two breakaway goals. Senior midfielder Sophia Livingston scored the only goal of the season for Kent State in the last minute of the game to cut the loss to one goal.
The second game last weekend was a double overtime thriller against VCU. Regulation included a half hour weather delay and 60 minutes of stellar defense and no scoring. Michaela Skinner was a brick wall for Kent State in the net while the offense had a variety of chances to score. The game, however, was lost in overtime after a well-executed goal by the Rams.
Michigan Scouting Report
As it currently stands, Michigan is the highest ranked opponent on Kent State's regular season schedule as they come into the contest ranked 8th nationally. Michigan had a solid weekend in the ACC/BIG 10 Challenge, defeating No. 2 ranked North Carolina 2-1 in an overtime showdown, and then battling hard against a top-10 Wake Forest team, but losing 0-2. Michigan has also faced Northwestern, Michigan State and Ohio State this season in mid-August exhibition matchups, so the Wolverines are already severely battle tested.
Michigan's offense is elite with 18 shots and 14 shots on goal through just the first two games of the season, giving them a .778 shots on goal percentage as a team. Eva Bernardy and Sofia Ghanbari are names to watch out for as they both have a goal so far this year.
Vermont Scouting Report
The Catamounts are off to a blazing start this year as they've gone 2-0 with an 8-2 goal differential thus far. They started off the year with a 5-2 home victory over Northeastern, with four different goal scorers present. Veerle Nijhuis shined the most in the game with two goals and three shots on goal. Vermont's second game saw them dominate Quinnipiac 3-0 with a 10-1 shots on goal advantage. Overall, Kent State will need to continue to play their strong brand of defense against the offensive powerhouse programs of Michigan and Vermont.
Series History
Kent State is 1-5 all-time against Michigan, with their last victory coming in 2009 in the teams' first appearance against one another. Their last matchup was a slim 1-3 loss in Kent in 2023. Meanwhile, the Golden Flashes have gone 2-0 against the Catamounts with multiple four goal performances in the mid 2010's.
Up Next
Kent State hosts Michigan State on Friday, Sept. 11 at Murphy-Mellis Field at 2pm. The game will start a five-game stretch of home field hockey for the Golden Flashes in September.
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