LIVE STATS
LIVE AUDIO
MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State soccer team will continue its Mid-American Conference opening weekend on Sunday afternoon as the Cardinals host Eastern Michigan at 1 p.m. at the BSU Soccer Field. Admission is FREE to all Cardinal Soccer games.
The Cardinals will honor their 2006 MAC regular season championship with a ring ceremony following the game. Ball State President Dr. Jo Ann M. Gora and Athletics Director Tom Collins on hand for the festivities.
“We are excited to take the field tomorrow against a very good Eastern Michigan team,” second-year head coach Michelle Salmon said. “We are looking forward to another great crowd full of enthusiasm and energy. I would love for Cardinal fans to wear red to the game to show their support.”
The Cardinals (4-4-0, 1-0-0 MAC) are coming off of a strong 1-0 victory over perennial MAC power Central Michigan on Friday in their conference opener. The BSU defense was stifling against the Chippewas as it limited the MAC's top scoring offense to just six shots in producing the Cardinals' second straight shutout of the season.
Junior forward Emily Rein (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) gave the Cardinals all the scoring they would need as she converted off an assist from senior forward Sarah Leibel (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula) in the second half. The Cardinals played an inspired second half in the victory as they out-shot CMU by a 12-3 margin in the second frame.
Four different Cardinals are tied for the team lead in scoring with two goals apiece in Leibel, Rein, Sarah Schumacker (Hamilton, Ohio/Fairfield) and Katelyn Alexander (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll). Rein leads the team with seven points total as she has also dished out three assists.
Sunday's game is the ninth meeting all-time between the Cardinals and the Eagles. The series is deadlocked at 3-3-2 all-time but Ball State has held the upper hand recently as it is 3-1-2 over the past six meetings. Last season, the Cardinals dropped a heartbreaker to Eastern Michigan as the Eagles tied the game in the 86th minute and took home the victory with an overtime goal.
Eastern Michigan (3-3-2, 1-0-0 MAC) enters the game on a high note as the Eagles picked up a conference opening 2-1 victory at Miami on Friday. The Eagles scored two first half goals off of corner kicks to secure the victory. Maggie Christensen leads the team in scoring with three goals on the season while goalkeeper Maggie Manville owns a 1.19 goals against average.
The game will also be Alumni Day for the Cardinals in conjunction with their ring ceremony. The Cardinals are looking to set a single game attendance record for the contest at the BSU Soccer Field and are encouraging fans to wear red in support of the team.
####
