Ten must-see Kent State athletic contests during the fall 2022 season
With the start of the 2022-23 college sports season now less than a month away, let’s take a look at 10 intriguing games that Kent State athletics fans should not miss this fall.
Friday, Sept. 2: Field hockey vs. Syracuse
Last year the Mid-American Conference regular season co-champion Golden Flashes upset an Orange squad that would wind up ranked 10th in the nation 2-1 in overtime in early September. That win helped Kent State finish the regular season ranked 22nd in the country. The top player for Syracuse is Charlotte de Vries, a three-time All-American and the daughter of former KSU head coach/Varsity 'K' Hall of Famer Kerry de Vries.
Friday and Saturday, Sept. 2-3: Volleyball, Kent State Invitational
First-year Kent State head coach Haley Eckerman will make her M.A.C. Center debut on Sept. 2 against Southern Indiana. The Flashes will then battle Cornell and Oakland on Saturday.
Saturday, Sept. 17: Football vs. Long Island University
Defending MAC East Division champion Kent State will be expected to produce some huge numbers in its 2022 home opener against LIU, an FCS program that finished 2-8 last year.
Thursday, Sept. 22: Soccer vs. Ohio University
The Flashes and Bobcats staged two epic battles last season. Both teams had a chance to claim the outright MAC title when they met in the regular season finale, but that matchup ended in a 0-0 tie. They met one week later in the MAC Tournament semifinals, and Kent State won 3-2 on a late Karly Hellstrom penalty kick.
Sunday, Sept. 25: Soccer at Akron
Kent State has won 11 of the past 12 matchups with the rival Zips, including a somewhat surprisingly tough 1-0 triumph in last year’s MAC opener. Akron went on to finish last in the conference.
Saturday, Oct. 1: Football vs. Ohio University
The annual Homecoming contest pits the Flashes against the Bobcats, who suffered through their first losing season since 2008 last year. Kent State snapped a six-game losing streak to Ohio with a 34-27 victory last October in Athens.
Thursday, Oct. 13: Soccer vs. Bowling Green
The Falcons handed the Flashes their only two MAC losses of the 2021 season, a 3-2 defeat during the regular season and a 3-0 loss in the MAC Tournament championship game.
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13-14: Volleyball vs. Akron
Kent State has won five in a row and eight of its last nine matches against Akron, including a pair of victories last season. Eckerman will look to continue that success against the rival Zips this October at the M.A.C. Center.
Sunday, Oct. 16: Field hockey vs. Penn State
The Nittany Lions were ranked fourth in the country when they lost to Syracuse in their 2022 NCAA Tournament opener. Penn State has won all three previous matchups against Kent State, including an 8-0 triumph when they last met in 2018.
Saturday, Oct. 22: Football vs. Akron
The Flashes have owned the Zips of late, winning the last three backyard brawls by a combined count of 133-38 — including a 38-0 drubbing last November. Akron will look to buck this trend under first-year head coach Joe Moorhead, but Kent State is rolling under fifth-year mentor Sean Lewis and has no intention of giving up the Wagon Wheel any time soon.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Here are 10 games to watch for Kent State fans this coming fall
