Kent, Ohio – The Saint Francis Field Hockey team fell to Kent State at today's opener by a score of 5-2.

Scoring both goals for the Red Flash was Taylor Nesmith (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley), who scored her first goal with 5:58 left in the fourth quarter thanks to assists from Taylin Lehman (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) and Samantha Olton (Diego Martin, Trinidad/Providence Girls Catholic). The second came on a penalty stroke with 3:14 left in the match, which cut the Golden Flashes lead down to three. That concluded the scoring for SFU.

Goalkeeper Claudia Marzec (Whitinsville, Mass./Moses Brown School) stood tall for much of the match, stopping eight out of 13 shots on goal. Overall, Kent State outshot Saint Francis 20-6, with a 13-5 advantage of shots on goal.

The teams were scoreless after one quarter, but Kent State broke the ice with the first goal, scoring with 4:52 left in the half. The score was 1-0 until after halftime, when Kent State added two more before the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth, the teams traded two goals apiece on the way to the 5-2 finish.

Saint Francis will return to action tomorrow, August 31, at 1 pm and will battle Michigan State at Kent State University.