Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey Heads to Ohio for Weekend MAC Contests
October 01, 2011 | Field Hockey
MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State returns to Mid-American Conference play as the squad travels to Ohio for a pair of weekend contests versus Ohio and Kent State, Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. each day.
LAST TIME OUT: The Ball State field hockey team fell to No. 20 Ohio State, 5-0, Tuesday afternoon at the BSU Turf Field. Ohio State paced the contest with strong offensive pressure, as the Buckeyes outshot the Cardinals, 23-4. Ball State was unable to come away with a goal, however freshman midfielder Sanne Hermans (The Hague, Holland) finished with a shot on goal.
SCOUTING BALL STATE: The Cardinals enter weekend play with a 1-8 record on the season and 1-1 mark in league play. Ball State averages 8.8 shots per game, with senior forward Devanny Kuhn (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) leading the squad with four shots per game.
Hermans and Kuhn pace the Cardinals with six and five points, respectively, while senior defender Gretchen Lulow (Ballwin, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy), freshman defender Laura Malinoski (Eastampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional), junior midfielder Marisa Weachter (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) and freshman forward Charlie Digby (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) have each posted one goal on the season.
Goalkeepers Chelsea Mitchell (Stevens, Pa./Cocalico) and Haley Fusting (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) have shared 560:00 in goal, including tallying 14 and 49 saves, respectively. Fusting owns a 1-4 record on the season, including posting a 3-0 shutout victory versus the Miami RedHawks Wednesday, Sept. 21.
SCOUTING OHIO: Under the guidance of seven-year head coach Neil Macmillan, the Bobcats finished the 2010 season with a 12-10 record (7-3 MAC). Ohio enters weekend play after defeating MAC foe Missouri State Sunday, 5-1, in Springfield, Mo.
Sophomore Jessica Jue paces the squad with 21 points on the season from six goals and nine assists, while senior netminder Jen McGill owns an 8-2 record on the season after spending 696:14 in goal, allowing nine goals and making 22 saves. The Bobcats also received 23 votes in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches' Poll with an 8-2 record on the season.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's contest marks the 69th time Ball State and Ohio will meet as the Cardinals and Bobcats are deadlocked at a 34-34 series tie. The teams last met during the 2010 season in a first round contest of the MAC tournament as Ball State fell to Ohio, 5-0, at the CMU Field Hockey Complex. The Bobcats outshot the Cardinals, 18-4, and recorded a 7-3 advantage on penalty corners.
SCOUTING KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes finished the 2010 season with a 15-7 record (8-2 MAC). Sunday, Kent State fell to Michigan State, 2-1 in overtime in East Lansing, Mich. for 3-7 record on the season (1-0 MAC). Senior forward Debbie Bell leads the Golden Flashes' charge with 21 points, including 10 goals and one assist, while freshman goalkeeper Jahna Jordan has spent 728:29 in the cage, allowing 38 goals and tallying 51 saves.
SERIES HISTORY: The contest between Ball State and Kent State Sunday marks the 61st meeting between the two teams as the Cardinals own the 32-28 all-time series-advantage versus the Golden Flashes. The teams last met during the 2010 season in at the BSU Turf Field as Kent State defeated Ball State, 7-4. Kuhn completed the contest with five shots, while Lulow tallied two shots and forward Kristen Falk (Pennsburg, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) also finished the contest with one shot.
COMING UP ON THE CARDINALS' CALENDAR: Head coach Beth Maddox and the team returns to Ohio for a midweek contest versus Miami (OH) at the Field Hockey Complex in Oxford, Ohio, Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Live stats will be provided for all games on BallStateSports.com and updates can be found by following @BSUFieldHockey on Twitter.
