LIVE STATS
MUNCIE, Ind. ? The two-time defending Mid-American Conference regular season champion Ball State soccer team continues preparation for the upcoming 2008 season on Friday afternoon as the Cardinals host regional foe Wright State in an exhibition game at the BSU Soccer Field. Game time is set for 4 p.m. and admission is FREE.
“We are looking forward to Friday's game with Wright State,” first-year head coach Michael Lovett said. “We had a good battle in the spring as both teams were evenly matched. We have had time to implement a new formation and we are excited to see how that will translate in a game situation. We are anxious to get on the field against someone besides ourselves after a week of practicing.”
The Cardinals return 15 letterwinners from last season's team, including eight starters from the 2007 squad that posted a 13-5-2 overall record. The Cardinals are led by a strong seven-member senior class that has posted a 41-12-7 record during their careers in Muncie.
Senior forward Emily Rein (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) paces the attack as she led the team with 17 points last season, including a team-high six goals. Fellow classmates Sarah Schumacker (Hamilton, Ohio/Fairfield) and Annie Aiello (Granger, Ind./Penn) add firepower to the attack as they both scored five goals apiece last season.
The Cardinals were also strong in the back last season as they boasted one of the country's top defenses as they allowed just 13 goals against, which is the lowest total in program history for a single season. Ball State allowed just five goals against in MAC play, tying the fewest goals ever allowed by a MAC team in a 10-plus game season.
The Cardinals are strong in net as they return second team All-MAC goalkeeper Rachael Murphy (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville). Murphy posted a MAC-best 10 shutouts on the season, including a school-record seven straight shutouts last fall. She finished the year with a 0.53 goals against average and enters her senior season just one shutout shy of the BSU career shutout record.
Friday's game will mark the first appearance for the Cardinals' eight freshmen in goalkeeper Alexa Gilbert (Evansville, Ind./Evansville North), forward Abby Milillo (Fairfield, Ohio/Badin), defender Alison Ramsey (Brecksville, Ohio/Brecksville), forward Adriana Hernandez (Anaheim, Calif./Magnolia), midfielder Sarah Orisich (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North), midfielder Christine Concannon (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph's), defender Jackie Arroyo (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) and midfielder Amy Ponder (Carmel, Ind./Carmel).
Wright State is coming off of a 13-6-1 season in 2007 and return 15 letterwinners. The Raiders were picked to finish third in the 2008 Horizon League preseason poll and have already posted a 2-0 victory over Central Michigan in an exhibition game last weekend.
Last season, the Cardinals downed IUPUI 6-0 in their only exhibition game of the season. Ball State will open the 2008 season on August 22 as it travels to Valparaiso to take on the Crusaders at 5:15 p.m. (CT)
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