Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey Versus Ohio State at BSU Turf Field
September 26, 2011 | Field Hockey
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State field hockey team briefly exits Mid-American Conference action Tuesday afternoon as the squad hosts Ohio State from the BSU Turf Field at 3 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: Ball State fell to MAC foe Central Michigan, 5-1, Saturday afternoon at the BSU Turf Field. Senior defender Gretchen Lulow (Ballwin, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) scored her first goal of the season, however the Chippewas outshot the Cardinals, 12-3, and recorded an 8-1 advantage on penalty corners. Freshman goalkeeper Haley Fusting (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) accumulated four saves in 70:00 of action in the cage.
SCOUTING BALL STATE: The Cardinals enter the contest with a 1-7 record on the season and 1-1 tally in league play after falling to the Chippewas Saturday. Ball State averages 8.8 shots per game, with senior forward Devanny Kuhn (Louisville, Ky./Sacred Heart Academy) leading the squad with 4.
Freshman midfielder Sanne Hermans (The Hague, Holland) paces the Cardinals with two goals and two assists. Goalkeepers Fusting and Chelsea Mitchell (Stevens, Pa./Cocalico) have shared 560:00 in goal, including recording 49 and 14 saves, respectively.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes enter the contest with a 5-5 record after defeating No. 11 Michigan, 2-1, in Columbus, Ohio. Junior forward Berta Queralt paces the Buckeyes' charge with seven goals and two assists so far in the season, while senior netminder Ally Tunitis owns a 5-5 record after spending 720:19 in goal, making 41 saves and allowing 18 goals.
SERIES HISTORY: Tuesday's game marks the 18th time Ball State and Ohio State will meet, as the Buckeyes own the 10-7 all-time series advantage against the Cardinals. The teams last met during the 2010 season as Ohio State shutout Ball State, 5-0, Oct. 27 at Buckeye Varsity Field.
Caitlin Maguire (Louisville, Ky./Presentation Academy) and CJ Hermes (Louisville, Ky./Mercy Academy) both finished with one shot, while Katie Norris (Mercy Academy) and Lulow each recorded a defensive save and Mitchell tallied three saves during 35:00 of action.
COACHES IN THE CROWD: The 2011 season stands as the second year for head coach Beth Maddox at the helm of the Ball State University field hockey team with assistant coach Jacque DeMarco, in addition to 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./Upper Perkiomen), Hermes, Kuhn, Lulow, Maguire, Mitchell and Norris, while defender Devon Bell (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) and midfielder Marisa Weachter (Manheimn, 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, defender Laura Malinoski (Eastampton, N.J. (Rancocas Valley Regional), 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 continues league action Saturday as the squad hosts Central Michigan at the BSU Turf Field, noon Saturday. The Cardinals have tallied an all-time record of 44-56 (.440) 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.
