MUNCIE, Ind. ? The Ball State soccer team wrapped up its first spring season under first-year head coach Michael Lovett on Sunday afternoon as the Cardinals played to a scoreless tie against the Ball State Alumni team in a 60-minute contest at the BSU Soccer Field. The Cardinals finished the game with a 14-3 advantage in shots against the Alumni.
The Cardinals finish the spring season with a 3-1-2 overall record and only allowed one goal against all spring. The Ball State defense last year was the best in the Mid-American Conference as it allowed just 13 goals in 20 games on its way to its second straight MAC regular season title.
“Today was a fun atmosphere for the players, alumni and fans,” Lovett said. “We played two strong games this weekend and I am very excited about the passion that we showed on the field. We had a lot of positives this spring and we are looking forward to build on those positives heading into next fall.”
The Cardinals out-shot the Alumni by a 7-2 advantage in the first half but the game remained scoreless as both goalkeepers, Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) for the Cardinals and Amy Cleeter (Aurora, Ind./South Dearborn) for the Alumni, recorded two and three saves respectively. Rising senior Annie Aiello (Granger, Ind./Penn) had the best scoring opportunity in the 14th minute as her shot from inside the 18-yard box was stopped by Cleeter.
Ball State owned a 7-1 shooting advantage in the second as the Cardinals' two goalies switched teams with Murphy posting three saves for the Alumni and Cleeter recording a save for the Cardinals. The Cardinals had the best opportunity as time was winding down as rising sophomore Vanessa Stone (Gilbert, Ariz./Mesquite) was thwarted by Murphy from 10 yards out in the 60th minute.
The Cardinals finish the 2008 spring season with a 3-1-2 record as they defeated Indianapolis, Oakland and Wright State while tying Xavier. The Cardinals' lone loss in the spring came in a hotly contested 1-0 loss at perennial regional power Illinois on Saturday afternoon. The goal scored by Illinois was the first allowed by the Cardinals in the spring.
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