Sunday’s Field Hockey Results
Kent State 3, Bucknell 1
No. 6 UMass 3, Albany 0
No. 13 Liberty 7, App State 2
Michigan State 4, Ball State 1
Davidson 2, Bellarmine 0
No. 13 Michigan 5, Central Michigan 0
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Kent State 3, Bucknell 1
Box Score
KENT, Ohio – Kent State Field Hockey defeated the Bucknell Bison 3-1 on Sunday afternoon to win their second consecutive game.
The Golden Flashes' luck may be turning around after completing the weekend sweep and heading into a long stretch of conference play on a two-game winning streak. Kent State is now 2-2 at home and will look to get the upset win over undefeated Massachusetts next week to prevail victorious in the five-game homestand.
A major factor in Kent State's recent success is senior forward Eva Usoz. The Madrid, Spain native has half (4) of the team's goals this season and slightly over one-third (25) of the team's total shots. Usoz scored two goals against Bucknell to give Kent their first multi-goal game of the year. Her first score came in the first quarter off a deflected rebound shot by Maybritt Duwel. Her second goal came a minute into the fourth quarter off a smooth assist by Riley Welsch - her first points as a Kent State player since transferring from Liberty.
Usoz now ranks 3rd in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in shots, 4th in shots on goal (15), 7th in total goals scored, and 8th in points (8). Usoz spoke postgame about her preparedness to score.
Along with Usoz, sophomore forward Addie Gagnon also got in on the scoring party. Gagnon put up her first collegiate career goal at the beginning of the second quarter to give Kent State a then 2-0 lead. Gagnon's goal places her second in total points on the team with three.
Defensively, fifth-year goalkeeper Michaela Skinner had another fantastic game, giving up one goal on five shots and nabbing four saves in the process. Her season save percentage increased to .691 with the victory as she closes in on 40 saves on the year.
Sophomore defender Ryli Zee also had a great defensive afternoon with her second defensive save of the week coming in the third quarter of the contest. Zee's two defensive saves tie her for the conference lead.
Overall, the Golden Flashes played very cohesively on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball this weekend. Head coach Heather Hefner spoke postgame about the team's heightened sense of togetherness over the two-game wining streak.
Kent State takes on MAC-leading, undefeated UMass on Friday, Sept. 25 at 2pm at Murphy-Mellis Field. The conference matchup caps a five-game homestand for the Golden Flashes before they head on the road to take on James Madison on Sunday.
No. 6 UMass 3, Albany 0
Box Score
ALBANY, N.Y. – Niamh McKenzie scored twice and the No. 6 University of Massachusetts field hockey team allowed just one shot on goal, as the Minutewomen improved to 8-0 with a 3-0 victory at UAlbany on a rainy Sunday afternoon. In the end, UMass picked up its third straight shutout, outscoring its opponents 15-0 in that span.
Eight games into 2026, the Minutewomen stand 8-0 for a second straight season. McKenzie has now scored goals in three straight games, scoring five in that stretch. She has three multi-goal games this season.
Defensively, UMass allowed a season-low one shot on goal, coming against a Great Danes' team that entered with a 3-2 record, was averaging 2.6 goals per game and hadn't been shut out. Since allowing two goals in the season-opening win against No. 8 Liberty, the Minutewomen have allowed just three goals over the last seven games.
Along with McKenzie's two goals on Sunday, Kristy Leonard scored her third goal of the season. Elani Sherwood and Sophie Kent dished assists.
A defensive game saw just five first-half shots. UMass held a 2-0 shots edge after one and 3-2 advantage at the half.
Moments after Rozárie Mrázová made a stop late in the second quarter, McKenzie redirected a feed from Sherwood past Great Danes goalkeeper Merle Vaandrager for the 1-0 lead with just 1:57 until halftime.
McKenzie made it 2-0 just 1:21 into the third quarter, finishing off a stellar sequence of passing with a beautiful shot into the far corner.
The Minutewomen held a dominant 6-0 edge in third-quarter shots, adding one more in the final minute of the stanza. After an Isla Campbell shot was saved, Leonard fired home the rebound for the 3-0 advantage.
UMass had the only two shots of the fourth in wrapping up the three-goal victory.
The final shot tally was 11-2 in favor of the Minutewomen. Both UAlbany shots came in the span of 2:05 in the second quarter, as the Great Danes were held shotless the rest of the game. Mrázová finished with one save for the shutout across UAlbany's Merle Vaandrager.
UMass remains on the road next weekend, traveling to Kent State on Friday (2 p.m.) and Central Michigan on Sunday (1 p.m.).
