Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey Back On The Road Saturday At Indiana
September 06, 2007 | Field Hockey
Sat., Sept. 8 @ 2 p.m.
Ball State (1-4) vs. Indiana (3-1)
IU Field Hockey Field
(Bloomington, Ind.)
Series History
BSU trails 12-3 in the all-time series.
About Ball State
Junior forward Casey Hunsicker scored in both games over Labor Day weekend, but the Cardinals dropped both contests, losing Sunday to Northeastern and Monday to Northwestern . . . Hunsicker leads Ball State offensively with three goals, followed by sophomore forward Brooke MacGillivary with two . . . Sophomore goalkeeper Tiffany Shifflett anchors the Cardinal defense . . . Shifflett saved 16 shots against Northwestern and now owns a Mid-American Conference-leading 58 saves.
Scouting Indiana
The Hoosiers are coming off an 8-0 shutout win Sunday over Saint Louis and enter Saturday's contest ranked 19th in the STX/NFHCA Poll . . . Kate O'Connell owns a team-high three goals, followed by Meg O'Connell and Katie Griswold with two each . . . In the cage, goalkeeper Haley Exner owns a 0.86 goals-against average and a .769 save percentage . . . As a team, Indiana has allowed just three goals through four games.
The Last Meeting
Indiana pulled out a 2-1 win Sept. 2, 2006, in Muncie . . . After a scoreless first half, Kate O'Connell gave the Hoosiers the lead in the 43rd minute . . . Katie Kloeckener answered for Ball State, scoring off an assist from Jamie Kahn, but Indiana's Lydia Schrott scored in the 58th minute to give the Hoosiers the lead for good.
The Last Time Out
Ball State dropped a 5-2 decision Monday at Northwestern . . . Casey Hunsicker gave the Cardinals an early lead with her third goal of the season on an assist from Amanda Pavone . . . Northwestern scored two late first half goals to take the lead, and the Wildcats' Alison Bullock recorded three second half goals to put the game out of reach . . . Hannah Jones scored her first collegiate goal for Ball State in the loss . . . Goalkeeper Tiffany Shifflett saved 16 shots.
Shifflett Piling Up The Saves
Goalkeeper Tiffany Shifflett leads the MAC with 58 saves through five games . . . Shifflett has made double digit saves in three of the five contests, including 17 in the season opener Aug. 25 at Villanova and 16 Monday versus Northwestern . . . Her 17 saves against Villanova are the most for a Cardinal goalkeeper in Annette Payne's five years as head coach . . . With an average of 11.6 saves per game, Shifflett is on pace to break Ball State's single-season saves record.
Hunsicker Off To Strong Start
Casey Hunsicker scored a goal in back-to-back games Sunday against Northeastern and Monday versus Northwestern . . . The junior forward now leads the Cardinals with three goals on the season . . . Her first goal came Aug. 25 in the win over Villanova . . . Hunsicker has picked up her scoring after logging just one goal in her first two collegiate seasons.
Ranked Opponents
Saturday's contest with Indiana marks the Cardinals' fourth straight game against a team that has been either ranked or receiving votes in the STX/NFHCA Poll . . . Ball State hosted 14th-ranked Louisville Aug. 31 . . . The Cardinals then traveled to Evanston, Ill., where they battled Northeastern and Northwestern, two teams receiving votes . . . Ball State will now go up against No. 19 Indiana.
The Final Tune-Up
The Indiana game will serve as Ball State's final tune-up for its 10-game Mid-American Conference slate . . . Following Saturday's game, Ball State will return home to host Miami in the MAC opener Aug. 15 . . . After one final non-conference contest Aug. 18 versus Ohio State, the Cardinals will close the regular season with nine MAC games.
On The Brink Of A Homestand
After opening the season with five of its first six games on the road, Ball State will return home for four straight following Saturday's game at Indiana . . . The Cardinals host Miami Aug. 15 and Big Ten foe Ohio State Aug. 18 before closing out the homestand Sept. 22 and 23 against Ohio and Kent State . . . During that stretch, Ball State will play four of its seven scheduled home games.
The Starting 11
Ball State has used the same starting lineup for all five games so far this season . . . Casey Hunsicker, Brooke MacGillivary, Jodi Mann, Katie Kloeckener, Melanie Pasillas, Elizabeth Blaum, Lauren Cruz, Jamie Kahn, Nicole Humphreys, Amanda Pavone and Tiffany Shifflett have each started all five contests . . . All five BSU seniors -- Cruz, Humphreys, Kahn, Kloeckener and Pavone -- have started every game . . . Blaum is the only freshman to earn a start for the Cardinals.
Cardinals Tabbed Second In MAC
Ball State was picked second in the MAC Preseason Poll by the league's coaches . . . The Cardinals finished second in the final 2006 conference standings after being tabbed fifth in the preseason poll . . . Ball State earned the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament and advanced to the championship game before falling 2-1 in overtime to MAC Champion Ohio . . . In the 25-year history of MAC field hockey, Ball State has won 16 regular season championships and 10 league tournament titles, and the program has competed in four NCAA Tournaments.
An Experienced Senior Class
The Cardinals will look to an experienced five-member senior class for leadership in 2007 . . . Senior defenders Nicole Humphreys and Amanda Pavone have each started 60 of a possible 61 games in their three-plus years at Ball State . . . Midfielder Lauren Cruz -- a two-time All-MAC Second Team selection -- is close behind with 58 career starts . . . Senior forward Katie Kloeckener has started 37 career games and returns as Ball State's leading scorer after tallying four goals in 2006 . . . The final senior, Jamie Kahn, has started 33 career games, including all 20 contests a season ago . . . She recorded four assists in 2006.
New Faces
Ball State welcomes seven newcomers to its program in 2007 . . . Freshman Elizabeth Blaum (back) has started all five games so far for Ball State, while classmate Hannah Jones (forward) has appeared in four games . . . Fellow freshmen Morgan Cloutier (midfielder), Gretchen Lulow (midfielder) and Ellen Vonderbrink (forward) have each played in one contest . . . Two additional freshmen -- Kaitlan Mitchell (midfielder) and Christina Niccum (goalkeeper) -- are also in their first season as members of the Cardinal field hockey team.
