Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
SIU-Edwardsville
Soccer Wins Home Opener Over SIU-Edwardsville, 3-2
September 13, 2009 | Soccer
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State soccer team secured its first victory of the season Sunday afternoon as the Cardinals downed SIU-Edwardsville 3-2 in their 2009 home opener at BSU Soccer Field. Ball State had three different players find the back of the net with senior midfielder Megan Ridley (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) scoring the game-winning goal in the 66th minute of action.
"Our team was very excited to play in front of our home crowd and we got the result we have been aspiring for," head coach Michael Lovett said. "This victory gives us some confidence as we started out great and our offense got on the board early. We were defensive in the second half and SIUE took advantage to get back into the game, but Ridley scored a beautiful goal on a set piece to seal the victory. We still have some work to do but this win will help kick our season into a new direction."
Ball State (1-5-0) broke the game open right from the start as the Cardinals scored their first goal just 1:49 into the contest. Junior defender Kristina Anderson (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) started the play off as she stopped an SIUE attack and quickly got the ball forward on a counter-attack to junior forward Missy Gordon (Carmel, Ind./Marshall).
Gordon got the ball on the left side and beat two SIUE defenders to the end line before sending a cross into the middle of the box. Freshman forward Paige Stroinski (Granger, Ind./Penn) ran onto the end of the pass and drilled a one-timed shot past Cougar goalkeeper Claire Lovecheck for her first career goal. The goal is the Cardinals' fastest scored to open a game since September 24, 2006 when former Cardinal Emily Rein scored 51 seconds into the game against Buffalo.
Ball State took a 2-0 lead in the 20th minute as freshman forward Maggie Brown (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) tallied her first career goal. Brown forced Lovecheck into a miscue as she blocked the SIUE goalkeeper's clearing attempt. She pounced on the loose ball and blasted it into the wide open net for the two-goal cushion.
SIU-Edwardsville (0-4-0) regrouped at halftime and came out in the second half and took advantage of the Cardinals' passive play. The Cougars got on the board in the 58th minute as Chelsey Johnston made a run down the right side and beat BSU freshman goalkeeper Nicole Wood (Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville) with a tough-angle shot near the goal line to narrow the Ball State lead to 2-1.
The Cougars looked ready to tie the game in the 61st minute as Correen Roark got behind the Cardinals' defense on a breakaway. Wood stood up the task as she denied Roark from close range in the one-on-one battle to keep Ball State in the lead.
The Cardinals responded to the SIUE pressure as junior forward Jacki Eft (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) made a run into the 18-yard box and was hauled down by the Cougar defender. Ball State was rewarded a free kick just outside the left side of the 18-yard box in the 66th minute. Eft and Ridley stood over the set piece and Eft touched the ball slightly to Ridley who bent the shot past Lovecheck into the opposite top corner for what ended up being the game-winning tally. The goal was Ridley's third of the season and her ninth career tally.
The Cougars kept battling as they narrowed the gap back to one goal at 3-2 in the 69th minute. Kiara Akpore broke in down the right side and poked the ball past a diving Wood where Kristin Dieker was able to guide it into the back of the net for her first goal of the season.
Ball State buckled down on defense down the stretch as it weathered the Cougars' pressure as SIU-Edwardsville held a 9-4 advantage in shots in the second half. Wood posted three saves to notch her first career victory and improve the Cardinals to 58-26-11 (.648) all-time at home at the BSU Soccer Field.
Ball State will return to action Friday afternoon as it hosts Lipscomb in its final non-conference affair. Game time is set for 4 p.m. at the BSU Soccer Field and will celebrate Youth Soccer Month. Free giveaways will be available for all youth fans courtesy of US Youth Soccer and Sky Blue FC, the 2009 champions of the Women's Professional Soccer League.
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