Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey Welcomes Robert Morris, St. Louis for Home-Opener
September 02, 2010 | Field Hockey
MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State field hockey plays at BSU Turf Field for the first time in 2010 when the squad hosts Robert Morris in its home opener Friday at 3 p.m. Two days later, BSU hosts St. Louis at 1 p.m. Sunday. In addition, the Colonials and Billikens play a neutral contest Saturday at 1 p.m. The Cardinals have tallied an all-time record of 43-54 (.443) at BSU Turf Field in Muncie, Ind. since the facility opened Sept. 12, 1998.
FROM THE WEEKEND: Maddox led the squad to its first victory of the season, a 3-2 overtime thriller last Friday against the Longwood Lancers in Farmville, Va. Also on the weekend, the Cardinals fell to Appalachian State, 4-3 in overtime as junior midfielder Brandi Mixell (Fort Littleton, Pa./Frostburg) scored two goals during the contest. During both games, junior midfield Devanny Kuhn (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart) recorded a total of two goals and six shots.
EXPLORING ROBERT MORRIS: Friday's contest stands as the first meeting all-time between Ball State and Robert Morris. The Colonials finished the 2009 season with a 2-13 record (1-7 NEC). A member of the Northeast Conference, Robert Morris earned an eighth-place in the league's preseason poll. The Colonials enter the 2010 season under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Olivia Netzler. Last season, Robert Morris dropped contests to Mid-American Conference foes Missouri State, 7-1, and Ohio, 2-0. Chantele Crow and Sam Hayden stand as the Colonials' top returning scorers, as the pair finished the 2009 season with 10 and 4 points, respectively.
SCOUTING ST. LOUIS: The Billikens finished the 2009 season with a 1-16 record (0-6 Atlantic 10) and 0-9-0 mark on the road. Last season, St. Louis dropped contests to Mid-American Conference foes Kent State, 7-0, and Missouri State, 7-0 and 3-0. The squad opened the 2010 season with two losses as Radford defeated St. Louis last Saturday, 3-0, and top scorer Nicole Kent recorded the lone Billiken goal during a 6-1 defeat to MAC foe Ohio Sunday. The native of Pewaukee, Wis. leads the Billikens with five careers goals and two assists, including four goals last season.
Sunday's contest marks the 11th all-time meeting between Ball State and St. Louis. The Cardinals own a 7-3 all-time record against the Billikens. The teams last met in 2008 at the BSU Turf Field when St. Louis defeated Ball State, 2-1. The lone Cardinal goal came during the final five minutes of the game as Casey Hunsiker attempted to spark a comeback for the squad with her first goal of the season.
NEW COACHES IN THE CROWD: Head coach Beth Maddox became the sixth head coach in Ball State history last spring, after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Colgate. Assistant Coach Jacque DeMarco also enters her first season with the Cardinal and White after serving one year as an assistant coach at SUNY Cortland.
RETURNING PLAYERS: Six seniors highlight an experienced upperclassmen group, including defender Elizabeth Blaum (Wilkes Barre, Pa./Wyoming Seminary College Prep.), defender Morgan Cloutier (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill), forward Hannah Jones (Louisville, Ky./Dupont Manual), forward/midfielder Kaitlan Mitchell (Stevens, Pa./Cocalico), forward/midfielder Maura Sawicki (St. Louis, Mo./Nerinx Hall) and forward Ellen Vonderbrink (Kettering, Ohio/Fairmont).
Kuhn leads the junior class, as the midfielder paced the Cardinals with 13 points last season and joins forward Kristen Falk (Pennsburg, Pa./Perkiomen), forward Brittany Hammer (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy), forward CJ Hermes (Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy), midfielder Gretchen Lulow (Ballwin, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy), midfielder Caitlin Maguire (Louisville, Ky./Presentation Academy), goalkeeper Chelsea Mitchell (Stevens, Pa./Cocalico) and defender Katie Norris (Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy) to make up the nine-member junior class.
NEWCOMERS: The Cardinals also welcome Mixell and freshman Lauren Heptner (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) to the 2010 roster. Sophomores Devon Bell (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee), forward/midfielder Marisa Weachter (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central), and Morgan Hammer (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel Area) join Heptner as the only other underclassmen on the 2010 roster.
2009 MAC HONORS: Kuhn earned Second Team All-MAC honors, in addition to Academic All-MAC honors. Bell, Hermes, Lulow, Maguire, Jones, Mitchell, Sawicki, and recently graduated Brooke MacGillivary join Kuhn with National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad honors from the 2009 season.
COMING UP ON THE CARDINALS' CALENDAR: The squad travels to play Northwestern and Iowa in a two-game series in the Big 10 Conference, starting Friday, Sept. 17 in Evanston, Ill. at 3 p.m. Friday's game marks the 24th time Ball State and Northwestern have met. The Wildcats own a 14-7-2 all-time record against the Cardinals. The teams last met Sept. 3, 2007 when Northwestern defeated Ball State, 5-2. The contest versus Iowa Saturday, Sept. 18 marks the 21st meeting between the two teams, as the Hawkeyes own an 18-2 series advantage against the Cardinals. Northwestern finished the 2009 season with a 12-8 record (1-5 Big 10), while Iowa went 9-10 (3-3 Big 10).
