Soccer team plays well in loss, bad in win

Kent State’s senior midfielder Jen Frey battles to get the ball away from Cleveland State’s Andrea Loejos yesterday. The Flashes beat CSU 2-1.

Credit: Jason Hall

It’s not often you hear a coach say he was more pleased with a loss than a win. Yet, Kent State soccer coach Rob Marinaro said just that following yesterday’s 2-1 victory over Cleveland State.

After a narrow 2-1 defeat against No.10-ranked Ohio State Friday, Marinaro said the team regressed in its victory over the Vikings. He added that if the Flashes (1-1) want to three-peat as Mid-American Conference champs, they’re going to have to play better than yesterday’s performance.

“I was disappointed all the way around,” said Marinaro, adding that he too needs to do a better job preparing the team. “I thought we played great (on Friday) and today we took a step back.”

“I have to give a lot of credit to Cleveland State. They outworked us, bottom line,” he said.

The Vikings’ hustle was evident in the first half as they jumped to an early 1-0 lead.

Ashley Walchack headed in a corner kick at the 9:33 mark of the first half to give Cleveland State the lead.

It would stay 1-0 until midway through the first half. After a corner kick by the Flashes, Ashley Bohinc was able to head in a score on a scramble near the net tying the game at one.

“We didn’t come out like we needed to,” Bohinc said. “We started out flat … and we started to pick it up at the end, but it definitely wasn’t our best game.”

The Flashes’ Kimberly Dimitroff, the 2004 Freshmen of the Year, had the game-winning goal with under 20 minutes to go in the contest. Dimitroff darted out in front of two Viking defenders and sliced a shot into the right corner of the goal, putting Kent State up 2-1.

Fatigue appeared to set in during the final 15 minutes as Cleveland State was struggling to keep possession and was noticeably tired. But the Vikings had enough left in the tank for one more charge.

With just over two minutes remaining, Cleveland State fired a shot from about 25 yards out. The ball shorthopped goalkeeper Alicia Fernandez, yet the junior was able to cradle the ball and win.

“Hopefully we learned today that we need to give that same effort every time out,” said Marinaro, referring to the Flashes’ effort Friday against Ohio State. “We need to have the mindset of giving 100 percent all the time.”

On Friday, Ohio State led 1-0 after the first half, yet the Flashes tied it at one at the 63 minute mark on a goal by senior Jen Frey. The Buckeyes, however, scored the game winner with 20 minutes, 48 seconds remaining.

The Flashes return to action when they travel to Deland, Fla., to play Stetson on Saturday.

Contact sports editor Joey Simon at [email protected].