MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State soccer team earned a berth into the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the eighth straight season as the Cardinals defeated arch rival Miami 1-0 at the BSU Soccer Field Thursday afternoon. The Cardinals enter the 2008 MAC Tournament as the seventh seed and will take on second seeded Central Michigan Sunday at 2 p.m. in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
“We knew that this was a must win game and we had a lot of positive energy heading into today's game,” head coach Michael Lovett said. “We came out slow in the first half but we were a different team the second half. We focused our energy on scoring a goal early in the second half and once we got that goal our team put Miami on the defensive by continuously attacking. Today was a total team effort that was earned up and down our lineup.”
Ball State (9-9-1, 5-5-1 MAC) controlled the tempo of the game as the Cardinals held a 15-6 advantage in shots and a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks. Ball State was particularly dominant in the second half as the Cardinals recorded six corner kicks in the second frame. Miami was held to just two shots in the second half and only three shots on goal in the game.
The two teams battled back-and-forth in the first half with the Cardinals holding an 8-4 advantage in shots. The Cardinals had an opportunity in the 14th minute as sophomore forward Jacki Eft (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) ripped a shot from 15-yards out that Miami goalkeeper Krista Pace was able to smother.
Miami (6-11-0, 5-6-0 MAC) had its best chance in the 35th minute as Courtney Clarke ripped a shot from 10-yards out but senior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) was there to thwart the effort.
The Cardinals came out of the break and put the pressure on the RedHawks from the start of the half. Ball State was rewarded for its attacking style with three corner kicks in the first 13 minutes of the second half. The Cardinals came close to scoring on the second corner kick of the half in the 57th minute as defender Tina Vannatta (Powhatan, Va./Springboro) saw her shot off of the set piece pushed just wide by Pace.
Ball State capitalized moments later on its third corner of the half in the 58th minute. Senior midfielder Katelyn Alexander (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) sent the ball to the back side of the box where it found freshman midfielder Abby Milillo (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin). Milillo corralled the ball and sent it back towards the far post where senior forward Emily Rein (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) was there to head it into the back of the net for the game-winning goal.
The goal is Rein's team-leading fifth of the season and the 27th of her career. She is second all-time in goals scored in Ball State history, trailing Dee Nocero by three goals. She is also second all-time in overall points with 70 on her career.
Murphy finished the game with three saves as she posted her seventh shutout of the season and her Ball State record 25th shutout of her career. Pace tallied seven saves in the loss for the RedHawks who fall to 4-7-1 all-time against the Cardinals.
Ball State opens the MAC Tournament Sunday afternoon on the road as the seventh-seeded Cardinals take on the second-seeded Chippewas at 2 p.m. Eight teams made the MAC Tournament with the top four seeds hosting the quarterfinal round. The highest remaining seed after the quarterfinals will host the semifinals and finals Nov. 7 and 9.
Quarterfinals -- Sunday, November 2 (at campus sites/higher seed)
Game 1 -- No. 1 Toledo vs. No. 8 Miami, 1 p.m.
Game 2 -- No. 4 Bowling Green vs. No. 5 Western Michigan, 1 p.m.
Game 3 -- No. 3 Eastern Michigan vs. No. 6 Northern Illinois, 1 p.m.
Game 4 -- No. 2 Central Michigan vs. No. 7 Ball State, 2 p.m.
Semifinals -- Friday, November 7 (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Game 5 -- Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner
Game 6 -- Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner
Championship -- Sunday, November 9 (at Highest Remaining Seed)
Game 7 -- Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner (MAC Championship Game)
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