Box Score

The Kent State field hockey team lost its second game home game in a row on Tuesday as number five Syracuse University bested the Flashes 6-1.

Four of Syracuse’s goals came in the first half of Tuesday’s match at Murphy-Mellis Field. Syracuse’s star player of the game, Emma Russell, already sported a hat trick with six and a half minutes left to play in the first half. Lieke Visser, Jessica Ross and Serra Degnan assisted Russell’s goals, in that order.

The first two goals of the game happened within about a minute and a half of each other. The first was scored at the 3:24 mark and the next went through the net at 5:01. For over 20 minutes, the Flashes played precise defense and kept the bleeding stable until just under 27 minutes of play when Lauren Brooks of Syracuse scored an unassisted laser shot that let them never look back.

Kent State coach Kathleen Wiler explained that she was impressed with her team’s defensive work in the loss that was absent in its previous loss to James Madison University over the weekend.

“I think today you saw really hard work defensively that we didn’t see on Saturday, so that was one adjustment,” Wiler said. “We’re really just trying to work on our team defense, especially in our midfield.”

Following another pattering rain shower, a goal scored by Kent State senior Shannon Martin gave Kent State some momentum when they squeaked a goal past Syracuse goalie Rebecca Congel, making it a 4-1 game.

Nine minutes later, the Orange sealed the deal with two more goals in 40 seconds and left a five-goal impression that mopped up the final 6-1 score.

Kent State will be traveling to Burlington, Vt., this weekend for a Friday game against Siena College and a Saturday match at the University of Vermont. Both contests will start at 2 p.m.

Wiler expressed confidence in sophomore goalie, Andrea Rinehart, and said a few defensive adjustments must be made before the weekend competition.

“(Rinehart’s) making the saves, she’s doing enough to keep us in the game,” Wiler said. “I think we just need to work on our team defense all being on point.”

The Flashes next home game is Friday, Sept. 12 at noon against the University of Richmond.  

Contact Alex Klukaszewski at [email protected].