Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey Heads to Ann Arbor for Weekend Duels
September 15, 2011 | Field Hockey
MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State heads to Ann Arbor, Mich. Friday for a pair of weekend contests versus No. 14 Boston University and No. 13 Michigan at the Phyllis Ocker Field Hockey Field.
LAST TIME OUT: Ball State fell to Northwestern, 3-1, Tuesday afternoon at the BSU Turf Field. Northwestern outshot Ball State, 30-18, and connected on 3-of-21 shots on goal. At 29:25 mark, freshman defender Laura Malinoski (Easthampton, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) scored her first career goal with a shot from the left post off of a penalty corner past the Wildcats' goalkeeper Amanda Wirth. Freshman midfielder Sanne Hermans (The Hague, Holland) provided the assist.
SCOUTING BALL STATE: The Cardinals enter weekend play with a 0-4 record on the year after falling to the Wildcats Tuesday afternoon. Ball State averages 14 shots per game, with senior forward Devanny Kuhn (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) leading the squad with 6.75. Goalkeepers Chelsea Mitchell (Stevens, Pa./Cocalico) and Haley Fusting (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) have shared 280:00 in goal, including tallying nine and 16 saves, respectively.
SCOUTING BOSTON: Under the guidance of 30-year head coach Sally Starr, Boston finished the 2010 season with a 10-8 record (3-2 America East) Top scorer Macey Gaumond paces the squad with eight points on the young season from four goals, in addition to the Terriers' lone defensive save. Boston enters weekend play after falling to Boston College, 1-0, Friday Sept. 9 at Jordan Field. The Terriers rank 14th in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches' Poll with a 3-2 record on the season.
SERIES HISTORY: Friday's contest marks the fifth time Ball State and Boston will meet as the Terriers own the 3-1 all-time series advantage against the Cardinals. The teams last met during the 2002 season.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN: The Wolverines finished the 2010 season with a 15-7 record (5-1 Big 10). This past weekend, Michigan shutout both Central Michigan Friday, 5-0, and Bucknell Sunday, 5-0. Freshman Emy Guttman paces the squad with five goals and one assist, while senior Christi Barwick owns a perfect 3-0 record on the season after tallying 269:45 in the cage and 14 saves, allowing four goals. The Wolverines rank 13th in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches' Poll with a 4-2 record on the season.
SERIES HISTORY: The contest between Ball State and Michigan Saturday marks the 19th meeting between the two teams as the Wolverines own the 13-5 all-time record against the Cardinals. The teams last met during the 2009 season in Ann Arbor, Mich. at Phyllis Ocker Field Hockey Field as Michigan defeated Ball State, 4-0. Senior Gretchen Lulow (Ballwin, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) stood as one of three Cardinals to record a shot on goal.
COACHES IN THE CROWD: Beth Maddox enters her second season as head coach of the Ball State University field hockey team in 2011 with assistant coach Jacque DeMarco and student coaches Morgan Cloutier and Brittany Hammer. Maddox is the sixth head coach in Ball State history. Under her direction, the Cardinals have brought in 10 freshmen for the 2011 season, in addition to nine current upperclassmen. Ball State's international flair to the 2011 roster features Hermans from The Hague, Holland.
RETURNING PLAYERS: The Cardinals return seven seniors in an experienced upperclassmen group, including forward Kristen Falk (Pennsburg, Pa./Perkiomen), forward CJ Hermes (Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy), Kuhn, Lulow, midfielder Caitlin Maguire (Louisville, Ky./Presentation Academy), Mitchell and defender Katie Norris (Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy), while defender Devon Bell (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) and midfielder Marisa Weachter (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) make up the two-member junior class.
NEWCOMERS: The squad welcomes ten freshmen to the 2011 roster in forward Charlie Digby (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams), Fusting, midfielder Leanne Goldblatt (Yorktown Heights, N.Y. (Lakeland), Hermans, Malinoski, defender Jenna Rosenberry (Manheim, Pa./Elizabethtown Area), midfielder Tarel Teach (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes), forward Kaitlin Thompson (San Carlos, Calif./St. Francis), midfielder Bianca Velez (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam) and midfielder Tori Widrick (Cazenovia, N.Y./Cazenovia).
2010 MAC HONORS: Kuhn and Lulow earned First Team and Second Team All-MAC honors, respectively, in addition to Academic All-MAC honors. Also, Hermes, Lulow, Maguire and recent graduates Hannah Jones, Kaitlan Mitchell and Maura Sawicki earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad honors.
COMING UP ON THE CARDINALS' CALENDAR: Maddox and the team enters Mid-American Conference play as the squad hosts Miami (OH) at the BSU Turf Field, Wednesday at 3 p.m. The Cardinals have tallied an all-time record of 43-55 (.439) at BSU Turf Field in Muncie, Ind. since the facility opened Sept. 12, 1998.
Live stats will be provided for all games on BallStateSports.com and updates can be found by following @BSUFieldHockey on Twitter.
