MUNCIE, Ind. ? Ball State junior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) has been named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. Murphy has guided the Cardinals into sole possession of first place in the MAC as the Cardinals are off to their best conference start in program history at 5-0-1.
“This is a well deserved honor as Murph is having an outstanding season,” second-year head coach Michelle Salmon said. “Anytime a goalkeeper receives an honor like this, it speaks volumes to how well our team as a whole is defending.”
Murphy and the Cardinal defense posted back-to-back shutouts this weekend against Northern Illinois and Western Michigan to run their shutout streak to seven straight games. She recorded a season-high six saves in the scoreless tie over NIU on Friday and posted two saves in the shutout against WMU on Sunday.
Murphy owns a conference-best 0.44 goals against average on the season as the Cardinals have allowed just eight goals against through 13 games this year. She leads the MAC with a 0.00 goals against average on the season in MAC play as Ball State has posted six straight shutouts to open conference play.
Ball State's seven straight shutouts is a program record and is the second longest streak in MAC history (nine by Ohio, 2004). The six straight conference shutouts are tied for the second longest in MAC history (six by Eastern Michigan in 1999; eight by Ohio in 2004). Murphy has not allowed a goal over the past 654:40 between the pipes, which is the longest streak for a lone goalkeeper in BSU history.
Murphy becomes the first Cardinal this season to earn MAC Player of the Week honors and the first Cardinal since Emily Rein (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) earned the weekly award last season (Oct. 2).
Murphy and the Cardinals will be back in action this weekend as they host Bowling Green on Friday afternoon in MAC action. Game time is set for 3 p.m. at the BSU Soccer Field. Admission is free.
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