MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State soccer team continues its four-game home stand on Sunday afternoon as the Cardinals host Mid-American Conference foe Western Michigan at the BSU Soccer Field. Game time is set for 1 p.m. and admission is FREE.
“We expect another tough MAC game against Western Michigan Sunday,” second-year head coach Michelle Salmon said. “We look forward to getting back on the field after Friday's hard fought game against Northern Illinois and are excited to play in front of our great home fans.”
The Cardinals enter Sunday's game with a 7-4-1 record overall and a 4-0-1 in MAC play this season. The Cardinals have been led this season by an overall team defensive effort as Ball State has allowed just eight goals through 12 games this season. The Cardinals own a 0.65 goals against average as a team, which ranks as the top mark in the MAC.
Ball State is coming off of a scoreless tie on Friday afternoon, in a hard fought physical battle. Junior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) and the Cardinal defense continued their strong play with their sixth straight shutout of the season. Murphy recorded a season-high six saves in the 0-0 tie as she posted her 13th shutout of her career.
Offensively, the Cardinals have used a balanced scoring attack that has scored 15 goals and is second in the conference with 186 shots on the year. Seven different players have found the back of the net for the Cardinals this season and five different players have recorded game-winning goals.
Junior forward Emily Rein (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) leads the team with nine points on the year as she is tied for the team lead in both goals (3) and assists (3). Classmates Sarah Schumacker (Hamilton, Ohio/Fairfield) and Annie Aiello (Granger, Ind./Penn) are also tied for the team lead in goals with three apiece. All three of Aiello's goals have come from the penalty spot this season.
Western Michigan comes into Sunday's game with a 2-8-2 overall record and a 0-4-1 mark in MAC play. The Broncos are coming off of a 4-0 loss on Friday afternoon at Miami. WMU has scored a MAC-low seven goals so far this season and have allowed 27 goals against.
Kelly Brenner is the only Bronco so far this season to have scored multiple goals as she leads the team with two goals. Western Michigan has split time in goal between two goalkeepers, Julia Francy and Jessica Laning. The two goalkeepers have combined to post a 2.15 goals against average this season.
Sunday's contest between Ball State and Western Michigan is the 10th meeting all-time between the teams. The Cardinals hold a slim 5-4-1 advantage in the series and have won the past two meetings.
Last season, Ball State took home a 3-0 victory in Kalamazoo, Mich., on a wet afternoon. Rein tallied two goals in the victory as she found the back of the net in the 28th and 56th minute. The offensive attack for the Cardinals produced 18 shots in the victory, including 10 on goal.
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