LIVE STATS (Friday)
LIVE STATS (Sunday)
MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State soccer team hits the road this weekend for a pivotal Mid-American Conference stretch as the Cardinals travel to Bowling Green Friday at 4 p.m. at Cochrane Field before facing Toledo Sunday at 1 p.m. at Scott Park. This weekend is a meeting of the top three vote getters in the MAC preseason coach's poll as Toledo was picked first, Ball State second and Bowling Green third.
“This weekend will be a good measure of where we stack up in the MAC,” head coach Michael Lovett said. “This is arguably our toughest road weekend of the year just because of the history of tough close games between us and both Bowling Green and Toledo. We have to continue to focus on playing Ball State soccer and playing with the same intensity we have shown the past three games.”
Ball State enters the weekend with a 7-5-0 overall record and a 3-1-0 mark in MAC play as the Cardinals sit alone in second place in the conference standings just three points behind Central Michigan (4-0-0). The Cardinals are riding a three-game winning steak into the weekend, including a sweep last weekend with victories over Buffalo and Kent State.
Ball State has out-scored its opponents 10-1 over the past three games and has reached at least three goals in every game of the streak. Seven different Cardinals found the back of the net last weekend and 12 different players have scored so far this season in BSU's balanced scoring attack.
Senior forward Emily Rein (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) leads the team in scoring as she has tallied 11 points, on the strength of three goals and five assists. Rein enters the weekend second all-time in Ball State history in career points (65) and goals (25). Sophomore forward Jacki Eft (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) is second on the team with eight points as she is tied for the team lead with three goals.
Junior midfielder Megan Ridley (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) is third on the team with seven points and has tallied three goals. All three of Ridley's goals have been game-winning tallies as she scored the clinchers against Air Force, Eastern Michigan and Buffalo.
The Ball State defense and senior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) have limited opponents to just one goal in the last three games and has posted five shutouts on the season. Murphy owns a 0.96 goals against average this year as she has played all but one half in goal for the Cardinals.
Friday's game marks the 11th meeting all-time between Ball State and Bowling Green. The Cardinals hold a 6-2-2 record all-time in the series and have won four straight regular season meetings between the two teams. However, Bowling Green eliminated the Cardinals from the 2007 MAC Tournament last season on penalty kicks in the semifinal round.
Last year, Ball State took home a 3-2 overtime victory against Bowling Green in Muncie. Bowling Green became the first MAC team to score a goal against BSU last season, snapping the Cardinals' 664-plus minute shutout streak as the Falcons took an early 1-0 lead. Ball State responded with two goals in the first nine minutes of the second half as Katelyn Alexander (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) and Rein each found the back of the net.
Bowling Green tied the game in the 62nd minute to send the game into overtime. The Cardinals pulled out the dramatic victory in the 109th minute as Rein beat two BGSU defenders for a loose ball and scored on a breakaway with just 1:43 left on the clock.
Bowling Green and Ball State met in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament in Muncie and battled to a hard fought 0-0 tie through 110 minutes to force the game into penalty kicks. The Falcons advanced in the tournament with a 3-0 victory on penalty kicks.
Bowling Green enters the weekend with a 7-3-3 overall record and a 2-1-1 mark in MAC play as the Falcons are tied for third place in the conference. The Falcons are coming off of a 2-0 victory at Akron and a scoreless tie at Ohio last weekend.
The Falcons have scored 26 goals through 13 games this season but just four of those goals have come during MAC play. Bowling Green has allowed just nine goals against and has posted nine shutouts on the year.
Gina Rossi leads the Falcons in scoring with 10 points as she is one of 14 players to have a goal this year for Bowling Green. Rossi leads the team with four goals, while Megan Amann leads the team in assists with four. In goal, the Falcons have played two goalkeepers in Alexa Arsenault and Christy Zabek. Arsenault has seen the bulk of the action and owns an 0.70 goals against average.
Sunday's game marks the 10th meeting all-time between Ball State and Toledo. The Cardinals own a 7-2-0 mark all-time against the Rockets and have won the last five meetings against Toledo.
Last season, the Cardinals picked up a 1-0 overtime victory against the Rockets. The two teams battled back and forth through 90 minutes of regulation, with the Cardinals owning a 21-11 advantage in shots. Ball State picked up the game-winning goal in the 96th minute off of a set piece. Alexander sent a corner kick into the box where senior Sarah Leibel was able to one-touch the ball into the back of the net for the game-clinching goal.
Toledo, the two-time defending MAC Tournament champions, enters the weekend with a 7-4-0 overall record and a 2-2-0 mark in MAC play. The Rockets enter the weekend tied for fifth in the MAC and play Miami at home Friday. Last weekend, the Rockets dropped a 1-0 loss at Akron before downing Ohio 2-0.
Toledo has scored 20 goals through 11 games this season with four of those goals coming in conference play. The Rockets have allowed 11 goals against and have posted six shutouts on the year. Ten different players have found the back of the net for Toledo this season. Reigning MAC Player of the Year Molly Cornwell it tied for the team lead in scoring with Ali Leak with eight points overall on the strength of three goals and two assists.
Toledo has played three goalkeepers this season in Vicki Traven, Angela Righeimer and Andrea Plewes. Traven, a freshman, has played the most in goal including all four games in MAC play. She owns an 0.57 goals against average and a 5-2-0 record
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