Friends and family filled the stands for the women’s soccer team’s senior day, where the Flashes defeated Duquesne 2-1.

“It was definitely awesome having a lot of family here to celebrate,” senior defender Dalaney Ranallo said, “Getting a last win before conference play with the team is definitely something to be excited about.”

The Flashes improved to 3-2-2 on the season; the Dukes fell to 3-5.

“It was a nice day to celebrate our seniors and get the result,” coach Rob Marinaro said. “They have done so much for our program, and it is really nice to send them off in the right way.”

Ranallo and senior forward Callie Cunningham assisted junior midfielder Siena Stambolich, who found the back of the net in the 57th minute to give Kent State the lead 1-0.

Kent State added to the scoring with a finish by senior forward Amanda Winquist in the 75th minute. It was Winquist’s first career goal for the Flashes as she worked with Cunningham, who earned another assist.

Duquesne played a physical game, but the Flashes stayed composed even after the Dukes scored a goal of their own in the 80th minute, making the score 2-1.

“We knew with the scout and everything coming in that Duquesne was gonna be a physical team,” Ranallo said. “Our coaches just kept reminding us to play our game … stay composed and take care of business.”

The Dukes came into the contest averaging 12 fouls per game; on Sunday, the team committed 15.

Kent maintained possession for the final ten minutes to secure the win. KSU had 19 shots with eight on goal; DU had 12 with six on goal. Junior midfielder Alisa Arthur led all players with six shots, with two being on goal. 

The team will now have 11 days off before a trip to Athens, Ohio, for a game against Ohio University on September 21, kicking off conference play.

“We need to push our training and continue to get better,” Marinaro said. “We are gonna push the envelope and see how much better we can get in these 11 days.”

Matthew Franos is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].