Soccer Ties Cincinnati 2-2 In Exhibition Game Saturday

Saturday, August 14

Cincinnati, Ohio

7 p.m.

Ball State University

Cincinnati (Exhibition)

Soccer Ties Cincinnati 2-2 In Exhibition Game Saturday

August 15, 2010 | Soccer

By: Ball State Athletics

CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Ball State soccer team battled for a hard fought 2-2 tie against Big East foe Cincinnati Saturday evening at Gettler Stadium in first-year head coach Craig Roberts' inaugural appearance at the helm of the Cardinals. Ball State posted a 15-13 advantage in shots against the Bearcats and held two leads during the tie.

"We are really delighted with our dedication and consistent play tonight," Roberts said. "We were solid in the areas we concentrated on during the first part of preseason practices. We have also identified areas we need to address and we are ready to take the next steps in our team's development."

Ball State came out of the gate quickly as it scored the contest's first goal in the third minute of action. The Cardinals' early pressure was rewarded with a corner kick that BSU was able to convert for the early 1-0 lead. Sophomore Alyssa Ables (Huntertown, Ind./Shattuck St. Mary's) sent the corner kick across where it found sophomore defender Brigit Reder (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) who buried it past UC goalkeeper Rachelle Barnett.

Cincinnati, who is under the direction of former BSU head coach Michelle Salmon, came back to tie the game in the 11^th minute against sophomore goalkeeper Aubrey Buehler (Waukesha, Wis./Tennessee-Martin). Bearcat forward Julie Morrissey scored the tying goal off an assist from Logan Ballinger.

The Cardinals came right back in the 24^th minute and took their second lead of the evening as once against they took advantage of a set piece. Sophomore Paige Stroinski (Granger, Ind./Penn) converted on a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box to put Ball State in the lead 2-1. Cincinnati tied the game once again before the half ended as Katie Buczek scored in the 35^th minute to knot the game at 2-2.

"We had a solid first half performance and our defense was hard to break down," Roberts said. "The midfield was a battle all game long and Cortney Coombs dominated the middle, especially in the air. We got a consistent performance in goal by Buehler and solid play up front as Shaniece Thorpe was dangerous from the beginning and Maimee Morris was strong off the bench."

The two teams played an even second half with neither team finding the back of the net. The game ended in a 2-2 tie as no overtime periods were played in the exhibition contest.

Ball State opens the 2010 regular season Friday, August 20 as it hosts Xavier at 4 p.m. at the BSU Soccer Field.

Ball State 2, Cincinnati 2 - FINAL