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MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. ? The Ball State soccer team begins the 2008 Mid-American Conference Tournament Sunday afternoon as the seventh-seeded Cardinals travel to Mount Pleasant, Mich., to take on the second-seeded Central Michigan Chippewas in a quarterfinal contest. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the CMU Soccer Complex. Sunday's game will be broadcast on 91.3 WCRD FM and online at www.ballstatesports.com.
“We have been in tournament mode this entire week,” head coach Michael Lovett said. “We treated Thursday's game as part of the MAC Tournament and we are focused on coming out with the same intensity on Sunday. We want to come out and compete better against Central Michigan than we did in the regular season. Our focus is on our team and playing together as one unit.”
The Cardinals enter the tournament fresh off of a 1-0 victory on Thursday over arch rival Miami, which secured BSU's spot in the tournament. Senior forward Emily Rein (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) scored the game's lone goal in the 58th minute as she scored off of a corner kick off of assists from senior midfielder Katelyn Alexander (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) and freshman midfielder Abby Milillo (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin).
The Cardinals have scored 24 goals this season and Rein leads the team in scoring with 16 points, on the strength of five goals and a team-high six assists. Junior midfielder Megan Ridley (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) is second on the team in scoring with four goals and one assist. Sophomore forward Jacki Eft (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) is third in scoring with eight points (3g, 2a).
Ball State (9-9-1, 5-5-0 MAC) has allowed 18 goals through 19 games this season as senior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) owns a 0.90 goals against average. She has posted seven shutouts this year and has tallied 24 on her career.
Sunday's game marks the eighth straight appearance for Ball State in the MAC Tournament, dating back to the 2001 season. The Cardinals are 2-4-3 all-time in the MAC Tournament as they have advanced to the tournament semifinals twice in program history (2007 & 2002). Ball State and Central Michigan have met once in the MAC Tournament with the Chippewas claiming a 2-0 quarterfinal victory in 2003.
The game will also mark the 12th meeting all-time between Ball State and Central Michigan. The Cardinals trail the all-time series by a 2-8-1 record, including a 3-0 loss earlier this season at CMU to open MAC play. Ball State is 0-4-0 all-time against the Chippewas in Mount Pleasant. Last year, the Cardinals claimed a 1-0 victory over CMU at home in the regular season.
Central Michigan (11-4-3, 6-2-3 MAC) enters the MAC Tournament as the number two seed. The Chippewas open MAC play with five straight victories and were unbeaten in their first seven games in conference play. Since that start, CMU is 0-2-2 over its last for games, including back-to-back ties against Akron and Eastern Michigan.
Central Michigan has scored 30 goals this season while allowing just 11 goals against. Senior Stephanie Martin is tied for the team lead with 20 points on the strength of eight goals and four assists. Amanda Waugh also has tallied 20 points (7g, 6a) while Erica Rohren is third on the team with 14 points (4g, 6a).
Shay Mannino has played every second in goal for the Chippewas this season and owns a 0.59 goals against average. She has posted nine shutouts on the season this year, which is second most in the MAC.
Sunday's game is one of four quarterfinal contests in the MAC Tournament. The other contests including #8 Miami at #1 Toledo, #6 Northern Illinois at #3 Eastern Michigan and #5 Western Michigan at #4 Bowling Green. The MAC Tournament semifinals and finals will be held next weekend at the highest remaining seed.
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