The Kent State soccer team came out on top with a 4-2 win against Bowling Green, making the Flashes the fourth seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament. 

BGSU will be the sixth and final seed in the tournament.

“I think we competed the best we have all year long, and that was super important for us,” coach Rob Marinaro said. “To bounce back in a game that counts for the playoffs, with so much pressure on them, to bounce back from 2-1 and rattle off three goals is very special. So, if they continue to do those kinds of things then we’ll be good.”

This is the Flashes’ third win in a row at home. 

“I thought it was a great performance,” Marinaro said. “The team showed a lot of resilience coming back from the 2-1, but gave a great effort, and truly, they were very good on the day.”

Kent State is now 8-6-3 overall and 5-4-2 in the MAC, while the Falcons are 7-7-3 overall and 4-5-2 in the MAC. 

The breakdown

To kick off the first half, senior midfielder Siena Stambolich scored for the Flashes in the fourth minute.

“The wind was blowing really hard towards the goal, so that’s something that she’s been practicing on and definitely has the quality to do it,” Marinaro said. “She just bent it in and allowed the wind to give a little bit of help and found the back close like that. It was just a special goal.” 

Bowling Green tied the score 1-1 with 30 seconds left to go in the first half. 

The Falcons scored again in the 57th minute, but that was their last goal of the game, as the Flashes put the foot on the gas.

“BG is an excellent offensive team,” Marinaro said. “They put tons of pressure on us, so our team defense was fantastic. And then, our back four was special to close off the game.”

Freshman defenseman Allison Collins had an assist in the 66th minute as she passed the ball to senior midfielder Alisa Arthur, who then buried the shot. 

“Your team captain steps up in big time moments, and she was very special on that day and helped carry us into the playoffs,” Marinaro said. “That couldn’t have been more of a clutch performance.”

Sophomore defenseman Ava Todd scored for the Flashes with 20 minutes left in the game. 

“Ava Todd stepped up in a moment with a tremendous finish with her head to give us that security to make sure that we pulled off the victory,” Marinaro said. 

Arthur converted another goal in the 84th minute, which made the final score 4-2. Arthur’s two goals put her at fifth place on the Kent State career goal list. 

The Flashes led the way in shots (14-4), shots on goal (7-2), and corner kick opportunities (6-5). 

Arthur led the team with four shots, three of which were on goal. 

Bowling Green converted on its only two shots on goal, so senior goalkeeper Heidi Marshall got the win without performing a save in the game.

Up Next

The Flashes will play at home Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. and host the Miami RedHawks in a MAC quarterfinal matchup. 

Kent State has lost the last two times the team has gone up against the RedHawks, the most recent matchup was this season in September, and the final score was 1-0. 

Miami University is 8-4-6 overall and 4-3-4 in the MAC.

“We need to be super competitive, have great team defense and get a cliff performance in front of the goal is what we need,” Marinaro said. 

Emily Lowen is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].