Kent State’s field hockey team lost to Appalachian State in a shootout Friday and then lost No. 7 ranked Ohio State Sunday afternoon. 

KSU has now lost four of its previous five games.

The Flashes are  3-3 overall with a 2-2 record in the Mid-American Conference, sitting in sixth place in the MAC standings.

Appalachian State is now 8-4 overall, sitting in second place in the MAC. 

The Buckeyes improved to 12-3 overall and have won four of its previous five games.

Friday’s game

KSU headed into Boone, North Carolina, to face off against a conference matchup with Appalachian State, looking to get their second win in a row. 

Kent State would come up short in a 2-1 loss in a shootout. 

After five minutes went by in the first quarter, KSU was down 1-0. Appalachian State was also leading in shots (3-2) at this point. 

The Flashes responded in the second quarter, with sophomore forward Patricia Strunk scoring a goal at the start of the quarter to tie it up even at one. KSU was also awarded a penalty corner. 

The score remained at one throughout the third quarter, and App State led in shots (9-4) and was tied with KSU in corners (1-1). 

After another scoreless quarter in the fourth, the game went into overtime, still going a full 10 minutes with no score. However, KSU led in shots (5-1) and secured three corners.

In the second overtime, both teams kept each other off the board, forcing it into a third overtime in which it was still scoreless. 

In the fourth and final overtime, the Mountaineers were able to score, going up 2-1 to take the win.

Sunday’s match

The Flashes returned home for a tough matchup against No. 7 ranked Ohio State (12-3). 

KSU was looking to turn things around after the loss to Appalachian State, but the team could not take down the Buckeyes, falling to a shutout loss of 3-0. 

Kent State held OSU scoreless in the first and second quarters, but KSU was also scoreless. 

In the third quarter, the Buckeyes struck first, going up 1-0. In the fourth, Ohio State added two more goals in the final minutes to put themselves up 3-0 over Kent State. 

The Flashes could not muster up anything as time winded down, which led OSU to securing the win. 

The Buckeyes were dominant, beating KSU in shots, corners, and fouls. 

OSU had 15 shots total, with nine shots on goal. Kent State had four shots, with three of them on goal.

Staying home

Kent State will be back at home Friday for another MAC game against the Miami RedHawks.

MU was selected to finish first in the conference and win the MAC tournament in the preseason coaches’ poll.

Miami currently sits in first place in the MAC with a 4-0 record in the conference and 9-5 overall. However, the RedHawks record on the road is 3-4. 

Game time is at 1 p.m. 

All time, KSU is 11-13 against Miami and has lost four of the previous five matchups.

Kyle Kuchta is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected]