OXFORD, Ohio ? For the second straight season, the Ball State soccer team claimed the Mid-American Conference regular season championship as the Cardinals knocked off arch rival Miami, 2-1 in overtime on Thursday afternoon. The Cardinals become the first team in MAC history to win back-to-back MAC titles outright.
“Today was just a tremendous team victory,” second-year head coach Michelle Salmon said. “We played consistent team soccer all year and this championship is very fitting for our team.”
The Cardinals finished the regular season with a 12-5-1 overall record and a 9-1-1 MAC record, as they recorded their second title in program history. Ball State's nine conference wins are tied for a program-record and the Cardinals have now won a MAC-best 25 conference games over the past three seasons.
“Our team's willingness to commit themselves to excellence today and all season speaks volume to the level that our program has achieved,” Salmon said. “To accomplish what we have done in MAC play this season, highlights the commitment that our players have for Ball State Soccer.
The Cardinals dominated play throughout the game as they held a 27-7 advantage in shots. Ball State struck first in the contest as senior forward Sarah Leibel (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) took a pass in the box and got behind Miami goalkeeper Krista Pace. Pace took Leibel down from behind to earn the Cardinals' a penalty kick and herself a red card at the 30:24 mark of the game.
Junior midfielder Annie Aiello (Granger, Ind./Penn) stepped forward after the goalkeeper switch and blasted the kick into the corner for the 1-0 lead. The goal is Aiello's fifth of the season, all of which have come from the penalty spot. Her five penalty kick goals are a Ball State record and the most for a single player in the MAC this season.
The Cardinals continued to attack the Miami end with a player advantage after Pace's ejection from the game. Junior midfielder Katelyn Alexander (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) looked to give the Cardinals the two-goal lead in the 41st minute as she took a free kick from 25-yards out. Alexander's kick was pushed just over the cross bar by Miami backup goalkeeper Lauren Jarman.
Ball State came out in the second half and elevated its pressure from the start of the half. The Cardinals' attack generated two corner kicks in the first 10 minutes of the half. Alexander sent the second of those corner kicks into the box in the 55th minute. The ball came back out to the 18-yard line where senior defender Angie Heyer (Zanesville, Ind./Zanesville) ran onto the loss ball. Heyer rocketed a shot towards the far post that sailed just wide.
Alexander rung the post in the 57th minute as she beat two Miami defenders on the end line. Miami kept battling and head an opportunity on the counter-attack in the 63rd minute. Forward Sarah Lund took a cross at the top of the 18-yard box and sent a header on goal. Junior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) was there to thwart the attack and keep the RedHawks off the board.
Miami (6-9-3, 4-6-1 MAC) finally struck in the 76th minute off of a counter attack. Lund broke out of the midfield and found forward Rachel Byron charging into the 18-yard box. Byron settled the ball and blasted a shot into the lower corner to tie the game at one apiece.
Alexander and junior forward Sarah Schumacker (Hamilton, Ohio/Fairfield) looked to end the game in regulation in the 85th minute. Alexander rifled a shot from 10-yards out that Jarman stopped with a sprawling save. Schumacker raced into the box and sent the rebound off of the cross bar to narrowly miss the game-winning goal.
The Cardinals headed into overtime with the momentum and attacked relentlessly to clinch the victory. Freshman defender Kristina Anderson (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) made a run in the 96th minute down the right side and beat two Miami defenders. Anderson sent a cross on the end line into the box where it found an open Schumacker. Schumacker brought the ball down three-yards out and poked it past the Miami goalkeeper for the game-winning goal.
The goal was the fifth of the season for Schumacker and her third game-winning goal of the year. The Cardinals are now 3-0-1 in overtime games this season, including overtime wins in three of the last five conference games of the season.
Murphy recorded two saves in the victory, which was her 11th of the season. Pace recorded four saves before her ejection while Jarman tallied eight saves to pick up her first career loss.
The Cardinals earn the number one seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament for the second straight season with today's victory. Ball State will host a MAC quarterfinal game on Sunday afternoon as it welcomes in eighth seeded Miami at 1 p.m. at the BSU Soccer Field. Admission to the MAC quarterfinal contest is FREE!
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