Ball State University Athletics
Soccer Welcomes IUPUI Friday, IPFW Sunday
August 30, 2012 | Soccer
The Cardinals welcome IUPUI to the Briner Sports Complex for a 4 p.m. kickoff on Friday and then play host to IPFW at 1 p.m. Sunday to wrap up a four-game home stand.
Ball State (2-1-0) defeated Northern Kentucky and Xavier last weekend, both by 2-1 scores, to claim a share of the Ball State Tournament title.
The victory over Xavier came in two overtimes on Nicole Pembleton's game-winner with less than three minutes remaining. Pembleton is one of four Cardinals who have scored goals in the early going of the season. Freshman Aubrey Hauenstein, who managed Ball State's first goal in the Xavier contest, fired six shots against the Musketeers and leads the team with 10 shots through three games.
Ball State boasts the reigning Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Week in Skylar Chew. The senior scored one goal and assisted on another in last weekend's tournament while also helping to anchor a back line that allowed just 10 shots on goal over the two games. Chew is tied with Hauenstein for the team lead with three points (one goal, one assist).
Behind the Ball State defenders, senior keeper Aubrey Buehler has played every minute of the first three contests in goal. She owns 15 saves and a 1.56 goals-against average.
IUPUI (0-4-0) suffered a pair of defeats last weekend in its most recent action. The Jaguars lost to Cleveland State at home, 5-1, and then went on the road to MAC foe Bowling Green and dropped a 2-1 decision. IUPUI also has a loss to MAC member Miami University.
The Jaguars have struggled on the offensive end so far, scoring just two goals through their first four games with one each for Ashley Doreski and Kristin Pierce. Giselle Guzman, who owns a 3.18 goals-against average, has played the majority of time between the posts for IUPUI and has already faced 37 shots on goal.
IPFW (1-2-0), which does not have another game before Sunday's matchup with Ball State, picked up its first victory last Sunday with a 2-1 win at Indiana State. The Mastadons have played some low-scoring contests with just five combined goals between them and their opponents through three outings. They lost their first two games of the year, both by 1-0 margins, to Butler and Toledo.
Erin Gill and Ariane Mason have scored IPFW's two goals this season, and the goals came within three minutes of each other early in the win over Indiana State. Freshman Sam Pavlika has played every minute in goal for the Mastadons and has stopped 10 of the 13 shots she has faced.
Ball State is familiar with both of this weekend's opponents, having faced IUPUI six times and IPFW eight times in the program's 13-year history. The Cardinals are 4-1-1 all-time against IUPUI and won the most recent meeting, 3-0, in Indianapolis in 2010. Ball State is unbeaten all-time versus IPFW at 7-0-1 and defeated the Mastadons last season in Fort Wayne, 1-0, on an early goal from Jasmine Moses.
