Golden Flashes continue national ranked non-conference schedule

KENT, Ohio – The Kent State field hockey team continues its nationally ranked non-league schedule this weekend when the team travels to Columbus for matches against No. 8 Syracuse Saturday and No. 14 Ohio State on Sunday. Both games will be played at Buckeye Varsity Field which is celebrating its opening weekend.

The Golden Flashes are coming off an opening weekend split posting a 4-1 win over William & Mary and a 4-0 loss at No. 12 James Madison.  Kent State has used a balanced offensive attack with four different players accounting for the four goals scored this season.  

Head Coach Kathleen (Schanne) Wiler is one win shy of 50 for her career.  Having led Kent State to consecutive Mid-American Conference regular season titles, the two-time MAC Coach of the Year is now in her fifth season having compiled a 49-38 (.563) career record.

Tracking the KSU career record book, junior Debbie Bell (Hamilton, New Zealand/Waikato) currently ranks fifth on the goals scored list with 51.  Jill Woodruff (1976-78) holds fourth-place on the list with 56.  Bell is also among the career points leaders with 112.  Ranked eighth on the list at start of the year she is now tied for sixth with Woodruff and trails Helen Jerdan (1999-02) by nine for the fifth spot.  Senior Rachel Miller (Bathurst, Australia/MacKillop College) is also moving up the career points list holding down ninth place with 107.  She is two back of Arlette van Cleff (2000-01) who ranks eighth with 111.  Miller is tied for second with 37 career assists as well.  

Up first for KSU this weekend is No. 8 Syracuse on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.  The Orange went 2-0 last weekend, defeating Northwestern, 6-1, and Northeastern, 4-1.  Last season Syracuse won the 2009 BIG EAST regular-season crown, posting a perfect 6-0 record in conference play and going 17-3 overall. They return two-time all-America selection Lindsey Conrad, who was named the BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after collecting 17 goals and nine assists in 2009.  The match-up will be the first between the two schools since 2005 when the Orange claimed a 4-3 home win.  Syracuse leads the series 3-1.

Live stats will be available here

On Sunday the Golden Flashes face interstate rival Ohio State at 2:00 p.m.  The two programs have squared off in 14 of the last 15 seasons with Kent State posting five wins during that span.  The Buckeye's opened up the 2010 campaign with a 2-1 overtime defeat of Ohio, 2-1 last Tuesday.  Ohio State outshot Ohio 15-2, while earning 19 penalty corners. Junior Aisling Coyle scored the first goal and assisted on the second.  OSU posted a 13-7 overall record and a 4-2 mark in Big Ten play last season. The Buckeyes tied for second in the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA Championship

Game time is set for a 2:00 pm start.  Follow the action through live stats by clicking here.