Despite a late push, the Massachusetts women’s soccer team lost a tight contest 2-1 to Kent State at Dix Stadium on Thursday. Coming off a win over Akron, the Minutewomen (3-4-2, 1-2-0 Mid-American Conference) could not continue their momentum into their matchup against the Golden Flashes (4-3-3, 2-1-0 MAC).
A defensive breakdown from UMass led to Kelsey Salopek’s game-winning goal in the second half. After receiving the ball in transition, Salopek quickly got a shot off from way outside the 18-yard box that rifled to the back of the net, putting Kent State up 2-0 with under 24 minutes to play.
Despite their slip-up leading to the second goal, the Minutewomen defense held up strong late, only allowing the Golden Flashes two shots the rest of the game.
UMass’ lone goal came from a penalty shot with just over 10 minutes left in the game. Morgan Bellamy squeaked a shot past goalkeeper Leah Shaffer for her second goal of the season.
Kent State got the scoring started with an olimpico goal from Samantha Miller in the middle of the first half. She continued her strong performance throughout the game, ending the match with three shots, including one that deflected off the crossbar.
Both goalkeepers made strong contributions, each saving three shots in the contest. Even after the strong corner from Miller, Leah Nisenfeld held her nerve and regained control of the game.
“I think today, [Nisenfeld] got a little rattled at times,” head coach Jason Dowiak said. “[Nisenfeld] still made some fantastic saves and she controlled the game for us.”
The Golden Flashes’ defense struggled with the pressure from the Minutewomen early on, allowing three shots within the first seven minutes. Kent State barely had any possession during that time and rarely carried the ball into UMass territory.
The Minutewomen came out with energy and nerve to start the match. They consistently applied pressure, creating multiple chances at the net, but couldn’t convert.
“[There were] a couple really good chances where we got in each other’s way. It’s just lack of awareness or lack of composure,” Dowiak said.
Bellamy led UMass with three shots, one being the penalty kick, scoring the only goal of the game for the visitors.
In the 61st minute, Bellamy had a great chance off a ball-in from Sarah DeFreitas, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
“It’s little moments like that that we’ve struggled with this year of being able to take advantage of our opportunities that we create, which have been really nice,” Dowiak said.
The Minutewomen are a youthful group, with all but four starters being underclassmen. This inexperience could contribute to their scoring struggles early in this season.
Four of UMass’ nine shot attempts landed on goal, compared to five of the Golden Flashes’ 12 shots being on net. The Minutewomen’s offensive aggression gave them a 6-5 advantage in corner kicks over Kent State.
The visitors matched their opponent’s defensive tone as well, committing one less penalty with neither team drawing a card.
With this loss, UMass falls to No. 8 in the MAC and holds a losing record in conference play.
The Minutewomen continue their inaugural MAC season against Northern Illinois at Rudd Field on Sunday, Sept. 28. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. as UMass hosts its Mental Health Awareness game.
Shelby Ball can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @shelbyball0.
