Top Seeded Soccer Hosts MAC Tournament This Weekend

MUNCIE, Ind. ? For the first time in program history, the Ball State soccer team will host the Mid-American Conference Tournament this weekend at the BSU Soccer Field. The top seeded Cardinals will face fourth seeded Bowling Green Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. in the second semifinal game, while second seeded Toledo faces third seeded Northern Illinois at 11 a.m. Friday in the first semifinal game.

“We are excited about hosting our first MAC Tournament this weekend,” second year head coach Michelle Salmon said. “We look forward to playing a very good Bowling Green team Friday in the semifinals.”

The winners of the two semifinal games will meet at the BSU Soccer Field Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. The winner of Sunday's game will be crowned the 2007 MAC Tournament Champion and will receive the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Admission for the MAC Tournament is $5 for adults and $2 for students with IDs and youth tickets. The first 250 Ball State students with an ID will be admitted free to the MAC Tournament, courtesy of a Ball State Soccer donor.

“Our fans have been amazing all season,” Salmon said. “We hope to have everyone out again this weekend to create an electric atmosphere for Ball State Soccer and the MAC Tournament.”

The Cardinals enter the weekend with a 13-5-1 overall record and finished the regular season with a 9-1-1 mark in conference play to capture their second straight MAC Regular Season Championship. Ball State advanced to the MAC Tournament Semifinals after a 1-0 victory over arch rival and eighth seeded Miami in a quarterfinal contest last weekend.

The Cardinals' 13 victories are tied for third most in a single season in program history, matching the total from last season in Salmon's first at the helm of the program. Ball State has scored 26 goals so far this season as it uses a balanced scoring attack. Eight different players have found the back of the net, including five players with at least three goals on the season.

Junior forward Emily Rein (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) leads the offensive attack with 17 points as she has scored a team-high six goals and is tied for the team lead with five assists. Classmate Sarah Schumacker (Hamilton, Ohio/Fairfield) is second in scoring with 12 points, while junior midfielder Katelyn Alexander (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) is third with 11 points.

Senior forward Sarah Leibel (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) is tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 10 points as she has scored four goals and handed out two assists. Junior midfielder Annie Aiello (Granger, Ind./Penn) rounds out the double-figure scorers with 10 points coming on five goals. All five of Aiello's goals have come from the penalty spot this season, which is a single season program record for penalty kick goals.

Defensively, the Cardinals own the top ranked unit in the MAC as they have allowed just 13 goals against, including just five goals against in conference play. Seniors Angie Heyer (Zanesville, Ind./Zanesville) and Lindsay Martin (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) along with junior Jen Vilkoski (Hamilton, Ohio/Fairfield) and freshman Kristina Anderson (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) have spearheaded the Cardinals' defense that has posted nine shutouts this season.

Junior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) has anchored the defensive effort as she owns a conference-low 0.56 goals against average on the year. She posted a program-best 0.43 goals against average in MAC games this year as well as she recorded seven regular season shutouts against MAC foes.

Bowling Green enters the tournament with a 10-9-1 overall record after finishing fourth in the conference with a 6-5-0 mark. The Falcons advanced to the MAC Tournament Semifinals after a 2-1 overtime victory over fifth seeded Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals.

The Cardinals and the Falcons have met nine times prior to Friday's meeting. Ball State holds a 6-2-1 overall record in the series, including wins in the last four meetings. The Cardinals won the regular season meeting between the two teams with a 3-2 double overtime victory in Muncie.

Rein scored the game-winning goal in the 109^th minute to send the Cardinals to the victory. She finished the afternoon with two goals in the win, while Alexander tallied the Cardinals' first goal of the game.

2007 Mid-American Conference Soccer Tournament

Muncie, Ind. ? BSU Soccer Field

Friday, November 9, 2007

#2 Toledo vs. #3 Northern Illinois, 11 a.m.

#1 Ball State vs. #4 Bowling Green, 2 p.m.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Championship game ? 1 p.m.

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Ball State University Athletics

Top Seeded Soccer Hosts MAC Tournament This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Annie Aiello

Katelyn Alexander

Kristina Anderson

Angie Heyer

Sarah Leibel

Lindsay Martin

Rachael Murphy

Emily Rein

Sarah Schumacker

Jen Vilkoski

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