Ball State University Athletics
Soccer Hosts Ohio and Akron This Weekend
October 12, 2006 | Soccer
This Weekend's Games . . .
The Cardinals continue their four-game home stand this weekend as they play host to Ohio on Friday and Akron on Sunday afternoon in Mid-American Conference action.
The match up on Friday will be a showdown between two teams tied for second place in the Cardinals and the Bobcats. Sunday's game will feature two teams that entering the weekend, are tied for second in the MAC with nine wins each overall.
Series History . . .
Friday's meeting is the 10th meeting all-time between the Cardinals and the Bobcats with BSU trailing the series by a 2-7-0 mark.
The Cardinals came home with a 2-0 victory last season in Athens, Ohio as BSU scored both goals in a six minute span of the second half. Midfielder Laura Bandy paced the attack as she dished out an assist and scored a goal against the Bobcats. Forward Emily Rein notched the game winning goal off of a diving effort in the 72nd minute.
The Cardinals and Zips have met five times prior to today's meeting with Ball State holding a solid 3-0-2 record in the series. The two teams have been evenly matched over the past two seasons with consecutive ties in the series.
Last season, the teams battled to a 2-2 double overtime tie at Akron. The game was a back and forth affair as the Cardinals scored in the fifth minute on a goal from Amy Holst as Angie Heyer picked up an assist. The Zips battled back and took the lead with two goals in the first half but the Cardinals evened the game up at two apiece in the 59th minute. Forward Sarah Leibel scored the game-tying goal off an unassisted effort as BSU out-shot the Zips, 10-6.
About the Cardinals . . .
The Cardinals enter the weekend with a 9-3-2 record overall and a 4-2-0 mark in the Mid-American Conference. Ball State is coming off of a tough weekend that saw the Cardinals drop a pair of home games to Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. The losses were the first of the season for the Cardinals at home at the BSU Soccer Field.
The Cardinals are led by forward Emily Rein as she has scored five goals and dished out three assists. Sarah Schumacker is second on the team in scoring with four goals and four assists while Amy Holst has tallied five goals. The Cardinals lead the MAC in scoring with 27 goals this season.
About the Bobcats . . .
Ohio enters the weekend with a 6-7-0 record overall on the season and a 4-2-0 mark in MAC play. The Bobcats are coming off of a 1-1 weekend at home as they defeated Bowling Green before falling to Toledo, 3-0.
The Bobcats are led by Amy Lower who has scored three goals and dished out two assists. Five additional players have scored two goals so far this season as Ohio has recorded 14 goals on the season.
About the Zips . . .
Akron entered the weekend with a 9-4-0 record overall and a 2-4-0 mark in MAC play. The Zips were set to play at Miami on Friday prior to today's meeting.
Akron is in the midst of a record-breaking season for the program as the Zips have already set the school's single season record for wins with nine. Akron opened the season with seven straight victories, marking the best start in school history.
The Zips have scored 17 goals entering the weekend with forward Christine Vacha leading the way with five goals and an assist.
Home Sweet Home . . .
The Cardinals return home to the friendly confines of the Ball State Soccer Field this weekend where they hold a 41-23-7 mark all-time. The Cardinals are coming off of an 8-1-1 home record last fall and have posted a 4-2-0 record at home so far this season. In fact, the Cardinals have only lost two games in Muncie over the past two and a half seasons.
Below is a list of the Cardinals' home records over the years:
2006 - 4-2-0
2005 - 8-1-1
2004 - 3-1-4
2003 - 6-4-0
2002 - 8-2-0
2001 - 7-2-0
2000 - 5-5-1
1999 - 0-6-1
Rein Earns MAC Honor . . .
Sophomore forward Emily Rein was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week last week after leading the Cardinals to two road victories at Bowling Green and Toledo.
Rein, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, notched both game-winning goals on the weekend. She scored an unassisted goal against Bowling Green in the 24th minute that snapped a 900-plus minute BGSU shutout streak and tallied another unassisted goal in the 50th minute of the Toledo victory.
Rein now is tied for the team lead and is fifth in the conference with five goals on the season. She has scored a goal in three straight contests for the Cardinals and is currently second in the conference with 13 points on the season.
Fast MAC Starts . . .
The Cardinals are the only team in the MAC to win their first four games of the season. The 4-0-0 start to MAC play is the best start for the Cardinals in program history. Last season, Ball State opened the season 3-1-0 as did the 2002 team.
MAC Stats . . .
The Cardinals can be seen near the top of most statistical categories in the latest Mid-American Conference release. The Cardinals are among the top three in nine of the 14 team statistical categories, including the top mark in six categories. BSU leads the league in shots per game (15.71), points (5.36), goals (27), goals per game (1.93), assists (21), and corner kicks (87).
The Cardinals also have three players in the top 10 in scoring with Emily Rein sixth at 13 points, Sarah Schumacker eighth at 12 points and Amy Holst 10th with 10 points. Rein and Holst are tied for fifth in the conference with five goals and three game-winning goals.
New Face at the Front . . .
Ball State first-year head coach Michelle Salmon picked up her first victory with the Cardinals in her first game when BSU downed IPFW, 5-1. The Cardinals are off to a 9-1-2 record under Salmon as she now boasts a 55-56-10 overall career coaching record.
Salmon joins the Cardinals staff after spending the past six seasons at the helm of UMBC. She compiled a 46-53-8 record with the Retrievers before coming to Muncie.
Preseason Prognosticators . . .
Ball State, fresh off of a second place finish in the MAC last fall, was picked to finish tied for seventh place by league coaches in the Preseason MAC Poll. The Cardinals were picked to finish tied with Eastern Michigan.
Central Michigan was the overall favorite to win the league crown and the conference tournament championship this fall as the Chippewas return 10 of 11 starters from last season. Defending champion Bowling Green was picked to finish third this season with Western Michigan tabbed for second.
Looking Ahead . . .
The Cardinals hit the road next weekend as they travel to Northern Illinois on Friday afternoon and Western Michigan on Sunday afternoon. Ball State will close out its home portion of the schedule on October 26th as it hosts Miami.
