Ball State University Athletics
Soccer Kicks Off Season This Weekend
August 24, 2006 | Soccer
This Weekend's Games . . .
The Cardinals open the 2006 regular season on the road this weekend as they travel up I-69 to face IPFW Friday night and head to Illinois State Sunday afternoon.
New Faces at the Front. . .
Ball State enters into new territory this season as the Cardinals are under the tutelage of new head coach Michelle Salmon. Salmon became just the second head coach in Cardinals soccer history this summer and brings a strong background to Muncie.
Salmon spent the past six seasons as head coach at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she posted a 46-53-8 record. She also turned in a stellar playing career at Maryland, leading her team to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Also new to the staff is assistant coach Abby Richter, who spent the past season as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa. She worked primarily with the Hawkeye goalkeepers while also handling team travel.
Cardinals in Season Openers . . .
This weekend marks the start of the eighth season of Ball State soccer and the Cardinals are 5-2 all-time in season openers. The Cardinals have won two straight openers heading into Friday night's game at IPFW.
Last season, the Cardinals picked up a 3-0 win at Indiana State. Emily Rein highlighted the attack as she scored two goals against the Sycamores while Annie Aiello added the third goal for BSU. The win improved BSU to 2-1 all-time on the road in season openers.
Series History . . .
Ball State enters Friday night's game at IPFW holding a 4-0-1 record all-time against the Mastodons. The Cardinals picked up a 6-1 victory last season over IPFW. Sarah Leibel spurred the attack as she scored two goals in the victory as five different players found the back of the net. The Cardinals scored five first half goals against the Mastodons as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead.
The Cardinals are 1-0-1 all-time in Fort Wayne including a 2-0 victory in 2004 in the last meeting at IPFW.
The Cardinals will be facing Illinois State for the fifth time in program history on Sunday afternoon and will be searching for their first win over the Redbirds. Ball State is 0-4-0 against Illinois State all-time including losses in the past two seasons. Last season, the Cardinals dropped a 1-0 decision at home to Illinois State as they surrendered a goal in the 31st minute of play.
About the Cardinals . . .
Ball State is coming off of a 15-3-2 season last fall that saw the Cardinals finish second in the MAC regular season with an 8-2-1 mark.
The Cardinals return 19 letterwinners from last season's team including eight starters. The squad returners are highlighted by three second team All-MAC performers from last season in midfielders Vandi Ogden and Anne Heyer as well as forward Sarah Leibel. Those three honorees accounted for 13 goals last season including five goals from Liebel.
Also in the mix of returnees is Emily Rein who led the squad last fall with seven goals and Amy Holst who tied with Heyer and Ogden for third in scoring with four goals.
The Cardinals will have to replace a large part of the defense as first team All-MAC selection Kristi Mitts graduated and second team All-MAC goalkeeper Alison Becker transferred to Iowa.
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.
Cardinals' Regional Buzz . . .
Ball State has drawn some regional accolades already this season as the Cardinals are ranked 13th in the Great Lakes Region by Soccerbuzz in the preseason rankings. The Cardinals are the only team from the Mid-American Conference to be listed in the preseason regional rankings.
About the Mastodons . . .
IPFW is coming off of a 6-11-1 season last fall. The Mastodons closed out the season on a hot streak as they won three straight games to claim the USC Conference Tournament Championship.
The Mastodons return nine starters from last season's team and 14 letterwinners overall. The Mastodons struggled at home last fall as they posted a 0-4-2 record
About the Redbirds . . .
Illinois State is coming off of a 9-7-3 record last season as the Redbirds finished fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference. ISU is returning 16 letterwinners from last season's team including eight starters from the squad.
The Redbirds are opening up the 2006 regular season at home Friday night as they face off against Wisconsin-Green Bay prior to facing Ball State.
Did You Know? . . .
The Cardinals return 78 percent of their goal scoring from last season and 88 percent of their overall point total from last season.
Looking Ahead . . .
Ball State will continue its season opening road swing next weekend as the Cardinals travel to the LaQuinta Inn & Suites Mountain Classic on the campus of Northern Arizona. The Cardinals are set to face off against host NAU Friday and Portland State Sunday.
