MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State soccer team will begin its defense of the 2006 Mid-American Conference regular season championship this weekend as the Cardinals open MAC play on Friday afternoon when perennial MAC power Central Michigan visits the BSU Soccer Field at 4 p.m..
“For us to start the conference season with one of the MAC's perennial powers in Central Michigan is a great test for our team right out of the gate,” second-year head coach Michelle Salmon said. “We are excited for the challenge, and we look forward to facing a very good Central Michigan team.”
The Cardinals (3-4-0) are coming off of a strong regional victory last weekend when they knocked off Illinois State, 1-0. The victory over the Redbirds was the first ever in six tries for the Cardinals against ISU. Senior forward Sarah Leibel (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 18th minute as she buried a chance from six-yards out.
Ball State enters the MAC opener with a 5-2-1 mark all-time in its conference openers, including a 5-0-1 mark over the past six seasons. The Cardinals opened MAC play last season with four straight victories as they defeated Kent State, Buffalo, Bowling Green and Toledo.
The Cardinals' offensive attack has put pressure on the opposition all season long as it has out-shot opponents by a 120-51 margin. Ball State has scored 10 goals so far this season as seven different players have found the back of the net. Three players, Sarah Schumacker (Fairfield, Ohio/Hamilton), Katelyn Alexander (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) and Leibel, are tied for the team lead with two goals apiece.
Central Michigan (4-3-0) had a three-game winning streak snapped last weekend when it fell to Michigan State, 2-0. The Chippewas have scored 15 goals so far this season to lead the MAC in scoring. Stephanie Martin leads CMU offensively as she has scored three goals and dished out four assists.
The Cardinals and Chippewas have met nine times prior to Friday's encounter, with BSU trailing the all-time series by a 1-7-1 mark. The Cardinals dropped a 3-0 decision last fall in Muncie as CMU jumped out to an early lead. The two teams have faced three common opponents in non-conference play this season with Ball State owning a 2-1-0 mark against UNC Greensboro, Illinois State and IPFW while CMU is 1-2-0 against those teams.
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