ATHENS, Ohio ? The Ball State soccer team took home a hard fought 1-0 victory over Mid-American Conference foe Ohio on Friday afternoon at Chessa Field in a battle of two teams tied for first in the MAC. The victory improves the Cardinals to 6-4-0 overall on the season and keeps them tied for the MAC lead with Toledo with a 3-0-0 mark.
“We put together a complete team victory today and grinded out a victory against a very good Ohio team,” second-year head coach Michelle Salmon said. “We didn't have a lot of opportunities on the offensive end, but Emily (Rein) capitalized on a chance to give us all of the scoring we would need.”
The Cardinal defense turned in another stellar performance as Ball State posted its fourth straight shutout and third in MAC play. The Cardinals limited Ohio to just two shots on goal in the victory, while junior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) posted two saves for her 11th career shutout.
“Our defensive effort today was tremendous,” Salmon said. “Our back line continues to turn in outstanding performances and today was no different.”
The Cardinals scored the game's only goal in the 77th minute of play against the Bobcats. Senior forward Sarah Leibel (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) possessed the ball in the midfield and passed back to junior midfielder Katelyn Alexander (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll).
Alexander was able to slip a pass in behind the Ohio defense as junior forward Emily Rein (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) was making a run. Rein got in behind the defense and buried a shot into the top corner past the sprawling Ohio goalkeeper Jess MacLean for the 1-0 lead.
Ohio (2-6-2, 2-1-0 MAC) turned up the pressure on the Cardinals down the stretch. The Bobcats notched three corner kicks in the final eight minutes of the game, but the Cardinal defense was strong and did not allow a shot on goal during the stretch.
Ball State improves to 3-0-0 in MAC play for the second straight season and has now picked up victories over the three teams (Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Ohio) it did not defeat last season in the Cardinals MAC regular season championship run.
The Cardinals will continue their weekend road swing in MAC play on Sunday afternoon as they take on Akron at 1 p.m.
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