After recording its first win of the season, Kent State field hockey took to the practice field to work on specific offensive details.

The Flashes could be seen spending plenty of time working on set plays and corners at their home of Murphy-Mellis Field. Their hard work paid off this weekend, as multiple players scored goals off of rebounds en route to a weekend split.

Freshman midfielder Hannah Faulkner started the trend on Friday by knocking in a rebound to extend the Flashes’ lead to 2-0 over Lock Haven. Sophomore Melanie Kahn scored her second goal of the game off of a rebound in the second half, pushing Kent State’s lead to 3-1.

Kahn’s first goal of the game, a shot that was assisted by sophomore Rebecca Lee, occurred in the 21st minute of the game. Kahn’s second goal gave the Flashes an increased level of confidence, something that has been fleeting so far in the 2011 season.

“It just came down to getting to that same spot and focusing on those rebounds, but it definitely pumped,” Kahn said. “You can’t get too happy with only a two goal lead, but we definitely were feeling good about where we were.”

The Flashes went on to defeat Lock Haven 3-2, improving their overall record to 2-4.

“I knew that I needed to step up not only for me, but for the team,” Kahn said. “I put everything I had into it and didn’t hold anything back.”

“We had a strong first half; we fought hard in the second half,” said Kent State Coach Kathleen Wiler. “You can see by Melanie Kahn’s rebound goal that the work that they put in in practices is paying off in our games.”

“We had been practicing our set plays and short corners all week,” Kahn said. “It was just important that I get to my spot on the circle and produce.”

The two-game weekend trip continued on Sunday in Philadelphia, Pa. against the Temple Owls. Kent State failed to score in the first half for the first time since its 7-3 loss at Iowa. The second half was a different story, as the Flashes scored three goals to tie the game, 3-3. Two goals from senior Debbie Bell and another from Lee sent Kent State to their second overtime contest of the season.

The Flashes battled with the Owls in the overtime period, but Bridget Settles’ goal in the 84th minute of action sent Kent State home with a loss, leaving its record at 2-4 on the season. Although the Flashes returned to Kent with their second-consecutive weekend split, Wiler seemed encouraged about the effort and play of her team.

“I think the positive today is that we’re really making strides, as shown by the three goals we scored,” Wiler said.

“Obviously it hurts; they worked their butts off,” Wiler said. “I think we had some opportunities that didn’t go our way, but they want to start practicing and move on to next week.”

Kahn echoed Wiler’s statements when asked about the difference between the weekend’s two games.

“It was definitely a different game,” Kahn said. “Temple was a lot better team than Lock Haven was. We got a lot of our goals accomplished, and sometimes you work really hard and it doesn’t turn out in your favor.”

Kent State will return home this weekend after playing five straight games on the road. The Flashes will host Ohio State on Sept. 18, and California on Sept. 19.

Contact

Nick Shook at [email protected].