Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey Seeks Improvement in 2006
August 15, 2006 | Field Hockey
With the impending 2006 field hockey season, Ball State has at least three things in its favor as it looks to return to prominence in the Mid-American Conference -- eight returning regular starters, six talented newcomers and a much friendlier schedule, including 10 dates at the BSU Field Hockey Field in Muncie.
In addition to the eight starters, Ball State returns 11 total letterwinners from the 2005 campaign.
The most highly decorated of the returning Cardinals is senior forward Lindsay Quay, who finished fourth in the Mid-American Conference in points (23) and goals (10) in 2005. Quay collected All-MAC First Team honors for the second time in a row in 2005 after being honored as the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2003.
"Lindsay has a ton of talent and an incredible desire to win at everything she does," fourth-year Ball State head coach Annette Payne said. "Whether it is a pickup game or a singing contest, Lindsay wants to win. I look forward to her spreading that character to the rest of her teammates."
Quay finished the 2005 season strong, managing at least one goal in four of Ball State's final six games, including a personal-best three-goal performance in the Cardinals' 6-0 home victory over eventual MAC Tournament champion Central Michigan in October.
Along with Quay, the Cardinals also return senior midfielders Carla Chiampi and Tara Reed. Both three-year letterwinners, Chiampi and Reed have started every game over the past two seasons. Reed finished third on the team with eight points in 2005, while Chiampi was fourth with seven.
"Our strength for the 2006 season is a strong senior class, which seems to be pretty hungry for success," Payne said. "They have a ton of playing experience, and they have fantastic players supporting them."
Junior forward Lauren Cruz also returns, coming off a season in which she was named to the All-MAC Second Team. Cruz started 17 of 18 games in 2005 and finished second on the team with three assists.
Katie Kloeckener, Amanda Pavone, Casey Hunsicker, Jamie Kahn, Melanie Pasillas, Jodi Mann and Nicole Humphreys also provide experience as returning players. Humphreys and Pavone were starters in all 18 games a year ago, while Kloeckener and Mann started more than half of Ball State's games in 2005.
Despite returning several key players, the Cardinals face the immediate challenge of replacing two of their top offensive players -- Chantelle Isaac and Maggie Durbin, who have both graduated. Isaac, who started every game over the final three years of her career, tied for team-high honors with 10 goals as a senior in 2005. A two-time All-MAC First Team selection, Isaac totaled 59 points in her Ball State career.
A midfielder, Durbin started all 18 games a year ago and led the team with six assists.
Ball State must also find a replacement for graduated Tracy Bannister, the team's starting goalkeeper for each of the past three seasons. Bannister started 51 games in her career and saved a total of 249 shots.
The task of filling Bannister's position will fall to two freshmen, Caroline Lehman and Tiffany Shifflett.
Lehman earned all-state honors as a senior at Palmyra Area High School in Pennsylvania, where she guided her team to the Class AA State Championship in 2005, allowing 11 goals and saving 74 shots.
Shifflett recorded 33 career shutouts in 89 games at Hampton Roads Academy in Virginia. She compiled an .853 save percentage and a 1.29 goals- against average over her high school career.
"These two goal keepers have an awesome opportunity in front of them," Payne said. "They both have very good fundamental skills and a remarkable work ethic. What they both lack is Division I experience. It will be vitally important that they take this opportunity and run with it."
Lehman and Shifflett are joined by four other newcomers to the team. Freshman midfielders Maura Sawicki and Mandi Smith plus forwards/midfielders Brooke MacGillivary and Jess Woodward will also look to make their mark on the Ball State program.
"All six of them have a chance of making an impact as well as having the opportunity to challenge the current players for starting positions," Payne said. "This year we really need the freshmen to be ready for whatever we ask of them, and we need them to be ready for the challenge of Division I competition."
Payne hopes the Cardinals' 2006 schedule will also lead to increased success on the field. A year ago, Ball State opened its season with six straight games away from Muncie and played just six home games on campus all season, including the first one -- Sept. 20 -- nearly one month into the campaign.
This year's home opener falls nearly a month earlier -- Aug. 26 -- as part of a six-game home stand to kick off the season. The Cardinals' 10-game home package is the most since the 1999 squad hosted 10 regular-season matchups at the BSU Field Hockey Field.
"We are definitely excited about being home as much as we are," Payne said. "Last year we did not have much time here at home, and it may have made the players a bit tired. Hopefully, with this year's schedule, we can stay rested and ready to compete in front of a hometown crowd full of family and friends."
While the Cardinals' 2006 slate does include an uncharacteristic number of games at home, the schedule -- much like years past -- is as grueling as ever. This fall's ledger includes seven dates against teams which were ranked or received votes in the final national poll last season, including No. 7 Michigan, No. 9 Indiana, No. 11 Ohio State and No. 12 Louisville. In addition, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State all competed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
Including the opener Aug. 26 versus William & Mary, the Cardinals will play a series of seven-successive non-conference games before kicking off the double round robin Mid-American Conference ledger Sept. 22 at Ohio. The league tournament is slated for Nov. 2-4 in Athens, Ohio.
Payne is looking to turn around a Ball State program, whose storied history of success is unparalled. In 24 years of field hockey in the MAC, the Cardinals have collected 16 regular-season titles and 10 tournament crowns, while accumulating 173 victories versus league opponents.
In the 1990s, Ball State finished first in the league every year but one. During the span, the Cardinals made four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals three times.
"We did not have the season that we were looking for last year," Payne said. "We fell short on our overall season record, and we fell short of our tournament goal. However, what we did gain was experience and, hopefully, the desire to learn from our previous season and turn it into success instead of fear in the upcoming year."
The 2006 Cardinals will also look to build off several close games a year ago. Six of Ball State's losses came by one goal, including three in overtime. After putting together wins in two of their last four regular season games, the Cardinals fell to Miami in the second round of penalty shots in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament.
Tight contests are nothing new in the MAC, and if Ball State can turn some of those close losses around, the team will give itself a chance to contend in the conference race.
"Each team wants to win, and each team wants the opportunity to make it to the NCAA's," Payne said. "So really it will just come down to the team that gets ‘it' and the team that is willing to learn daily and play the game that works for them."
