Kent State’s (10-7-2, 6-4-1 MAC) soccer season came to an end Sunday after a 2-1 loss against Ohio (8-7-3, 6-3-2 MAC) in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

The game was tightly fought, and it wasn’t until the 43rd minute that a ball hit the back of the net. Senior defender Mandy Arnzen scored off a free kick to give Ohio the 1-0 lead. Kent State went into the second half down a goal.

It didn’t take the Flashes long in the second to catch up, and in the 55th minute Vital Kats scored on an unassisted free kick. This was Kats’ eighth goal of the season and the tying goal of the game.

In the 69th minute, Ohio again took the lead after sophomore midfielder Jenni Santacaterina scored on a ball in front of the net.

The Flashes continued to try to put pressure on the Bobcats for the rest of the game, but they were unable to come back.

Ohio led in shots on goal, 9-7, and Kent State led in corner kicks, 6-2.

This is the first game against Ohio that Kent State has dropped since 2009, and the second year in a row the two teams have met in the quarterfinal. The 2017 game ended in a 4-2 win in penalties for Kent State.

Kent State and Ball State are the only two teams to qualify for the league tournament in each of the last eight seasons. Senior Defender Paige Culver made her 80th consecutive start and finished her collegiate career second in program history in starts.

Gina Butkovich is a sports reporter. Contact her at [email protected].