Ball State University Athletics
Soccer Opens 2007 Season At Home Friday Afternoon
August 29, 2007 | Soccer
What's On Tap . . .
The Cardinals open the 2007 season at home for just the third time in program history as they host IPFW at the BSU Soccer Field on Friday afternoon.
Ball State continues its opening weekend on Sunday afternoon as it welcomes in Butler at 1 p.m.
Hitting The Airwaves . . .
For the first time in program history, the Ball State soccer team will have all regular season home games broadcast on 91.3 WCRD FM and online at www.ballstatesports.com. Ball State students Eric Ryan, James Rider and Levin Black will provide the play-by-play and commentary duties all season long for the Cardinals.
The broadcasts will start 30 minutes prior to each Cardinal home game this season with the inaugural broadcast coming this afternoon when Ball State takes on IPFW.
In addition “Kickin' It With Michelle Salmon,” a weekly radio show, will be broadcast on Monday nights from 7-8 p.m. The first show will air on Monday, Sept. 3 and will feature player guests as well as one-on-one with Salmon.
Cardinals In Home Openers . . .
Friday's game is the ninth home opener in the history of the Ball State soccer program. The Cardinals are 6-2-0 all-time in home openers, including victories in their past four openers. Ball State picked up a 3-2 come-from-behind victory last season over Indiana State. The Cardinals faced IPFW one other time in a home opener, taking a 2-1 victory during the 2002 season.
Series History . . .
Friday's meeting between the Cardinals and Mastodons is the seventh meeting all-time between the two teams. Ball State owns a 5-0-1 record all-time against IPFW, including a 5-1 victory last season in Fort Wayne.
Sunday's meeting against Butler is the sixth meeting all-time between the two instate rivals. The Cardinals hold a slim 3-2-0 record against the Bulldogs as they took the series lead with a 2-1 victory in Indianapolis last season.
Last Season Versus IPFW . . .
The Cardinals opened the 2006 season on the road at IPFW with a 5-1 victory over the Mastodons. Ball State scored the first five goals of the game as five different players found the back of the net. BSU out-shot IPFW by a 15-4 margin in the victory.
The Cardinals opened the scoring in just the 13th minute as Amy Holst scored off of an assist from Angie Heyer. Katelyn Alexander, Sarah Leibel, Laura Bandy and Vandi Ogden each added goals in the convincing victory.
Goalkeeper Rachael Murphy picked up the victory in her first career collegiate start.
Last Season Versus Butler . . .
The Cardinals ran their 2006 record to 4-1-2 with a 2-1 victory at the Butler Bowl last season. The Cardinals battled through adversity on the trip and out-shot the Bulldogs, 13-8.
Forward Sarah Schumacker was the offensive catalyst for the Cardinals as she scored goals in the 20th minute and the 54th minute to give the Cardinals the 2-0 lead. The multiple-goal game was the first of Schumacker's career and the first of the season for any Cardinal player. Murphy recorded four saves in the victory.
Looking Back At 2006 . . .
Last season was a year for the record books as the Cardinals took home their first ever Mid-American Conference regular season title with a 13-4-3 overall record and an 8-2-1 conference mark.
The Cardinals' .725 winning percentage was their second highest in program history and ranked tied for 32nd highest in NCAA Division I. Ball State finished the year with a 7-1-1 record on the road, including seven straight wins to close the season on the road.
Cardinal head coach Michelle Salmon picked up MAC Coach of the Year honors in just her first season at the helm of the Cardinals. Ball State also placed four players, Sarah Maxwell, Amy Holst, Vandi Ogden and Emily Rein, on the First Team All-MAC squad.
Cardinals Tabbed First . . .
Fresh off of its first ever Mid-American Conference regular season championship, the Ball State soccer team has been picked as the preseason favorite to win the MAC regular season and the MAC Tournament by league coaches. This is the first time in program history that the Cardinals have been picked as preseason favorite and the first time BSU has been picked higher than fifth (2005) in the preseason rankings.
Ball State is returning 17 letterwinners and eight starters from a 13-4-3 team last year. The Cardinals led the MAC in almost every offensive category last season and return all three starting forwards from a team that scored 39 goals in 20 games. Ball State also finished third in the conference in fewest goals allowed at 22.
Junior forward Emily Rein, a First Team All-MAC selection, highlights the returnees as she finished tied for the team lead in 2006 with nine goals and led the team in scoring with 22 points. Senior forward Sarah Leibel and junior forward Sarah Schumacker each tallied four goals last season to finish tied for third in goals scored.
The Cardinals led the MAC last season with 35 assists and had six players dish out at least four assists apiece. Senior Lindsay Martin, junior Annie Aiello and Schumacker each finished tied for eighth in the conference with five assists.
Ball State also returns junior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy, who was one of just three goalkeepers in the MAC to play every second in goal. Murphy also finished tied for second in the conference with seven shutouts and fourth with a 1.05 goals against average.
Looking Back At The Exhibition . . .
The Cardinals picked up two wins during the exhibition season this fall as they downed IUPUI 6-0 and Indiana State 2-1 at BSU Soccer Field.
Against IUPUI, four different players notched goals for the Cardinals, including a pair of goals apiece from senior defender Lindsay Martin and junior forward Sarah Schumacker. Ball State out-shot IUPUI 17-9 and scored three goals in each half to secure the victory.
In the Indiana State victory, the Cardinals rallied from a first half deficit with two goals in a stretch of 5:48 of the second half.
The Cardinals knotted the game at one apiece in the 53rd minute as Emily Rein harassed IPFW goalkeeper Rachel Rudzis at the top of the 18-yard box. Rein stole the intended clearing attempt and got around Rudzis for the easy tap-in to tie the game.
Ball State continued its fast paced attack in the 59th minute as junior midfielder Katelyn Alexander sprung an attack with a long ball in behind the ISU defense that junior forward Schumacker was able to secure. Schumacker brilliantly poked the ball past the on-charging Rudzis and got in behind the goalkeeper. She deposited the ball in the net ahead of the retreating ISU defender for the go ahead goal.
New Faces In The Crowd . . .
The Cardinals welcome in nine newcomers onto this year's team, including eight freshmen. Joining the Cardinals this year are: sophomore Amy Cleeter and freshmen Ashley Williamson, Claire Richardson, Vanessa Stone, Kristina Anderson, Jacki Eft, Kristy Morris, Meg Mellott and Cortney Coombs.
Home Sweet Home . . .
The Cardinals will play nine regular season home games in 2007 at the BSU Soccer Field. Ball State is 43-24-8 all-time at home in Muncie, which is good for a 62.3 percent winning percentage.
The Cardinals posted a 6-3-1 record at home last season and picked up two wins so far this year during the exhibition campaign.
