TOLEDO, Ohio ? The Ball State soccer team dropped its second straight contest as the Cardinals fell to Toledo 1-0 at Scott Park on Sunday afternoon despite out-shooting the Rockets by a 20-6 margin. The loss drops the Cardinals to 7-7-0 overall on the season and 3-3-0 in Mid-American Conference action, while Toledo improves to 9-4-0 overall and 4-2-0 in conference play.
“Today capped another eventful weekend,” head coach Michael Lovett said. “We dominated play statistically and physically for the second straight game but were unable to capitalize on one of our chances. I am so proud of our players for battling all game long and fighting until the final horn.”
Ball State came out of the gate quickly and put pressure on the Rockets from the start of the game. Senior midfielder Katelyn Alexander (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) had the Cardinals' first chance in the fourth minute as her shot from 20-yards out sailed just over the crossbar.
Senior defender Sarah Schumacker (Hamilton, Ohio/Fairfield) came within inches of giving the Cardinals the early lead just a minute later. Schumacker pushed forward from her defense position and ran onto the ball 20-yards out. She rocketed a shot past Toledo goalkeeper Vicki Traven, but the ball went off of the cross bar and out of play.
Toledo converted on its only shot of the first half in the 24th minute as the Rockets took advantage of a BSU defensive miscue. The miscue allowed Toledo forward Molly Cornwell to get behind the defense and the reigning MAC Player of the Year was able to beat BSU senior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) low for the game's only goal.
Ball State controlled the tempo for the rest of the first half as freshman midfielder Abby Milillo (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) sent a cross into the box in the 32nd minute. Sophomore forward Jacki Eft (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) was able to get a head on the cross, but Traven was there to stop the effort. The Cardinals dominate play in the first half as it held an 8-1 advantage in shots against the Rockets.
The Cardinals came close to scoring the game-tying goal shortly after halftime in the 47th minute as senior forward Emily Rein (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) got behind the Toledo defense. Rein was in alone on a breakaway but Traven was able to stop the attack to keep the Rockets ahead by a goal.
Ball State continued to press Toledo and came within inches in the 68th minute off of a corner kick. Eft was able to flick the corner kick on into the six-yard box where Rein got off a shot towards the Toledo goal but a UT defender was there to save the ball off of the line.
Murphy came up with a couple of saves down the stretch to keep the Cardinals within one goal. In the 67th minute, Toledo forward Brittany Hensler got behind the BSU defense and went one-on-one with Murphy who was able to thwart the attack. The Rockets kept the pressure on in the following minute as Torrie Klier ripped a shot from 10-yards out that junior midfielder Megan Ridley (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) was able to head off the line for a team save.
Ball State kept the pressure on the Rockets in the closing minutes as the Cardinals out-shot Toledo by a 12-5 margin in the second half. The Cardinals' last chance came in the 84th minute as Eft had a header go just wide of the post, while Ridley had a shot from 15-yards out saved by Traven.
Rein finished the game with a team-high seven shots in the contest, while Milillo was second on the team with four shots. Murphy tallied three saves in the loss for the Cardinals and Traven registered five saves in the victory for Toledo.
The Cardinals will be back in action next weekend when they return home to the BSU Soccer Field for two MAC contests. The Cardinals host Ohio Friday at 4 p.m. before welcoming in Akron Sunday at 1 p.m. Sunday's game will also be the Cardinals' senior day with festivities prior to the contest.
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