Flashes Fall Just Short to No. 22 Ohio State - Kent State Golden Flashes - Kent State University Athletics

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Taking on a ranked opponent for the first time this season, the Kent State soccer team fell to No. 22 Ohio State 2-1 in a tightly-contested match Sunday night in Columbus.

Ohio State opened up scoring early, as junior Peyton McNamara scored a brace in the first 17 minutes of play. But in the 20th minute, sophomore Alisa Arthur sent a free kick into the box and found junior Dalaney Ranallo, who buried the ball into the back of the net to cut the Ohio State lead down to one. The halftime whistle blew with the Flashes trailing 2-1.

Ranallo's goal was the third of her career and first of the season. The perfectly placed ball from Arthur results in her first assist of the year.

The second half was a physical battle between the two squads as they fought for position up and down the field. Despite creating scoring opportunities for themselves, the Golden Flashes' valiant comeback effort came up just short as they could not find the equalizer in the second half.

The Flashes wrap up the nonconference portion of their schedule with a 0-5-2 record. The Buckeyes will head into Big 10 Conference play with a 5-1-1 mark.

Kent State trailed the Buckeyes in shots (12-6) but the two were level in shots on goal with four apiece. Freshman Jillian Marvin led the Flashes with two total shots and one on goal. Arthur and freshman Taylor English both had threatening shots that were turned away by the Buckeyes' keeper.

Senior Sarah Melén tallied two saves in the match. Entering Sunday, Melén led all MAC goalkeepers in saves (27) and was third in saves per game (4.50).

Freshman Julia Kempf made her debut for the Flashes Sunday thanks to strong showings on the training ground.

The Flashes will return to the pitch on Thursday, Sept. 22, when they take on Ohio at Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium to start MAC play. The interstate foes last met in the MAC tournament semifinals a year ago, where the Flashes ended the Bobcats' season with a 3-2 win.

For more information on the Kent State soccer team, follow Kent State Soccer on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and visit kentstatesports.com for additional information.

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