Cal Halts Soccer Win Streak as Kent State Drops 5-1 Decision
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State (3-1-0) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| California (4-1-0) | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 4:42 | Benz, Katie (California) |
| 1st - 5:31 | SALERNO, Vanessa (Kent State) |
| 2nd - 53:21 | Brunache, Danielle (California) |
| 2nd - 59:02 | Bjork, Thelma (California) |
| 2nd - 64:05 | Battung, Lauren (California) |
| 2nd - 81:34 | DeBack, Mekenna (California) |
| Kent State | California |
|---|---|
|
G:
SALERNO, Vanessa - 1
A: GIRONDA, Jessacca - 1 Sh: SALERNO, Vanessa - 4 Sv: SHERWOOD, Kelly - 11 |
G:
5 Players (#3, #16, #18, #22, #24 - 1)
A: 4 Players (#3, #6, #22, #26 - 1) Sh: Fitzpatrick, Kaitlyn - 9 Sv: Messinger, Kathleen - 2 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Kent State | California |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 7 (3) | 30 (17) |
| Saves | 12 | 2 |
| Fouls | 3 | 6 |
| Corner Kicks | 6 | 6 |
| Offsides | 1 | 0 |
Salerno tallies lone goal for the Flashes; Face San Francisco Sunday
BERKELEY, Calif. – The Kent State women's soccer team (3-1-0) had its season-opening win streak snapped Friday evening with a 5-1 setback to regionally-ranked California in the first day of action at the 16th annual Cal Invitational.
After trailing early to the Bears on a goal in the fourth minute, Kent State senior Vanessa Salerno (Etobicoke, Ontario) struck just 49 seconds later for her first goal of the season to knot the game at 1-1.
Jessacca Gironda (Akron, Ohio) kept up her fast start to the season, tallying the assist on Salerno's goal. Gironda leads Kent State with eight points on three goals and two assists through four games.
The 1-1 score stood to the intermission, despite Cal out-shooting the Golden Flashes 17-3 in the stanza.
"We learned a lot today," said head coach Rob Marinaro. "We played a really good first 45 minutes, and showed a lot of character coming back quickly early on. It was good for us to compete against a team of California's caliber, and being 1-1 at the half gave our team confidence that we have what it takes to compete at that level."
Cal (4-1-0) struck four times in the second half, notching what proved to be the game-winner in the 53rd minute. For the game, the Bears out-shot Kent State 30-7, with a 17-3 advantage in shots on goal.
Kent State Senior Kelly Sherwood (Strongsville, Ohio) made a career-high 11 saves in the setback, including seven in the first half. Junior Julie Keslar (Akron, Ohio) made one save in 16 minutes as a reserve.
The Golden Flashes will take on San Francisco (0-4-0) Sunday, Sept. 4 at 12:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. ET).
"This team is ready to get back at it," said Marinaro of Kent State's game Sunday versus San Francisco. "They are motivated to prove themselves, and they know the mistakes they made are correctable."
