Friday, September 15
Muncie, Ind.
5:00 PM
Ball State University
2-5-1
3
vs
0
Western Illinois
0-7-0
1
2
F
Western Illinois
0
0
0
Ball State
1
2
3
Soccer Breaks through in 3-0 Senior Night Win
September 15, 2017 | Soccer
Sam Kambol scores two goals in Cardinals’ non-conference finale
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State soccer team had been mired in an early-season scoring drought unfamiliar to the program in recent times. The Cardinals were looking to find their scoring touch again Friday in their final tuneup for Mid-American Conference play.
Mission accomplished.
Sam Kambol scored a pair of goals and Amanda Shaw added another as Ball State celebrated Senior Night with a 3-0 victory over Western Illinois to close out the non-conference slate.
"We're delighted to get back to our winning ways and to remain undefeated at home," Ball State coach Craig Roberts said. "We've been on the verge of things going right for us. Overall, it was a very positive performance. It was definitely a full team commitment, and the girls were rewarded for their perseverance."
Ball State (2-5-1) came out attacking early, applying pressure from the start. The Cardinals generated four corner-kick opportunities in the first 20 minutes of the game. They ended the night with a 7-1 advantage in corners and a 17-4 edge in shots.
The dominance on the stat sheet wasn't necessarily new. Ball State also had plenty more chances last week in a 1-0 loss at IUPUI. But while the Cardinals couldn't find that back of the net in that game, they took the lid off against Western Illinois.
Kambol, who had been silent in the goal column since the season opener, broke through in a big way. Last year's team scoring leader notched her first of the day in the 26th minute. Emily Scott fed the ball into the box and Alessandra Fistrovich one-touched it to Kambol who finished it off.
Ball State's lead stood at 1-0 until halftime, but Shaw quickly stretched it to 2-0 shortly after the break. The Cardinals had an advantage with Allison Abbe racing down the sidelines, and she fed Shaw at the top of the box. Shaw took it from there, beating Western Illinois keeper Ines Palmiero for her second goal of the year.
But the Cardinals weren't finished. Kambol tacked on another insurance goal in the 72nd minute, taking a long pass up the field from Lucy Walton and drilling a shot from the top of the box.
"We maintained better possession and were looking for a variety of ways to attack their back line," Roberts said. "I don't think we were predictable today with that, and because we were unpredictable, it was hard to handle."
Ball State was stout defensively, as well. Western Illinois (0-7-0) had two real chances to score. One came on a breakdown in the first half, but Sam Mattlin made a nice play to deflect the ball away from a WIU player who looked like she might bust through. The other came late when the game had already been decided.
Senior goalkeepers Alyssa Heintschel and Tristin Stuteville fittingly combined on the shutout, with each playing one half.
Ball State continued its recent tradition of celebrating Senior Night in conjunction with its final home, non-conference game. Before Friday's contest, the Cardinals recognized seven seniors – Heintschel, Stuteville, Abbe, Mattlin, Walton, Shannon Greeley and Aly Kohanowski.
BSU will now head back on the road as the attention turns to conference play. The Cardinals will begin defense of their back-to-back regular season championships next weekend in northwest Ohio with games Friday at Bowling Green and Sunday at Toledo.
Mission accomplished.
Sam Kambol scored a pair of goals and Amanda Shaw added another as Ball State celebrated Senior Night with a 3-0 victory over Western Illinois to close out the non-conference slate.
"We're delighted to get back to our winning ways and to remain undefeated at home," Ball State coach Craig Roberts said. "We've been on the verge of things going right for us. Overall, it was a very positive performance. It was definitely a full team commitment, and the girls were rewarded for their perseverance."
Ball State (2-5-1) came out attacking early, applying pressure from the start. The Cardinals generated four corner-kick opportunities in the first 20 minutes of the game. They ended the night with a 7-1 advantage in corners and a 17-4 edge in shots.
The dominance on the stat sheet wasn't necessarily new. Ball State also had plenty more chances last week in a 1-0 loss at IUPUI. But while the Cardinals couldn't find that back of the net in that game, they took the lid off against Western Illinois.
Kambol, who had been silent in the goal column since the season opener, broke through in a big way. Last year's team scoring leader notched her first of the day in the 26th minute. Emily Scott fed the ball into the box and Alessandra Fistrovich one-touched it to Kambol who finished it off.
Ball State's lead stood at 1-0 until halftime, but Shaw quickly stretched it to 2-0 shortly after the break. The Cardinals had an advantage with Allison Abbe racing down the sidelines, and she fed Shaw at the top of the box. Shaw took it from there, beating Western Illinois keeper Ines Palmiero for her second goal of the year.
But the Cardinals weren't finished. Kambol tacked on another insurance goal in the 72nd minute, taking a long pass up the field from Lucy Walton and drilling a shot from the top of the box.
"We maintained better possession and were looking for a variety of ways to attack their back line," Roberts said. "I don't think we were predictable today with that, and because we were unpredictable, it was hard to handle."
Ball State was stout defensively, as well. Western Illinois (0-7-0) had two real chances to score. One came on a breakdown in the first half, but Sam Mattlin made a nice play to deflect the ball away from a WIU player who looked like she might bust through. The other came late when the game had already been decided.
Senior goalkeepers Alyssa Heintschel and Tristin Stuteville fittingly combined on the shutout, with each playing one half.
Ball State continued its recent tradition of celebrating Senior Night in conjunction with its final home, non-conference game. Before Friday's contest, the Cardinals recognized seven seniors – Heintschel, Stuteville, Abbe, Mattlin, Walton, Shannon Greeley and Aly Kohanowski.
BSU will now head back on the road as the attention turns to conference play. The Cardinals will begin defense of their back-to-back regular season championships next weekend in northwest Ohio with games Friday at Bowling Green and Sunday at Toledo.
Team Stats
WIU
BSU
Goals
0
3
Shots
4
17
Shots on Goal
0
7
Saves
4
0
Corners
1
7
Fouls
4
11
Scoring Plays
KAMBOL, Sam (2)
Assisted By: SCOTT, Emily , FISTROVICH, A.
scored off nice passing connection
25:31
SHAW, Amanda (2)
Assisted By: ABBE, Allison
scored from 15 yards out
52:53
KAMBOL, Sam (3)
Assisted By: WALTON, Lucy
scored form just inside 18-yard box
71:55
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
4
SOG
2
Goals
2
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
M/F
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
GK
/ SoccerF
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
M/F
/ SoccerM/F
/ Soccer
GK
/ SoccerM/D
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