Ball State University Athletics
Soccer Continues MAC Play with Two Road Contests
September 27, 2012 | Soccer
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State soccer team hits the road for the first time in Mid-American Conference play this weekend for a pair of games in the state of Ohio. The Cardinals will visit the Kent State Golden Flashes for a 4 p.m. contest on Friday and then head to Athens, Ohio, for a 1 p.m. matchup Sunday with the Ohio Bobcats.
ABOUT BALL STATE
Ball State (5-3-2, 2-0-0 MAC) is coming off a pair of home wins last weekend to open conference play. The Cardinals defeated Buffalo and Akron, both by 2-1 scores. Ball State has lost only once in its past six games (three wins and two ties) dating back to Sept. 2.
Sophomore forward Jasmine Moses has scored three times in the past four games and leads Ball State with three goals and six points on the season. Sophomore forward Nicole Pembleton (two goals, one assist) and sophomore defender Pavla Benyrova (one goal, three assists) each own five points. Benyrova, the reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Week, scored one goal and assisted on another last weekend.
Ball State is continuing to limit its opponents to fewer than 10 shots per game on average, and the Cardinals have allowed just one of their past nine opponents to score more than a single goal. Senior goalkeeper Aubrey Buehler has played all but 33 minutes between the posts for Ball State and owns a 1.17 goals against average and 36 saves.
SCOUTING KENT STATE
Kent State (5-2-2, 0-1-1 MAC) lost its MAC opener last Friday at Central Michigan by a 2-1 score and then played Bowling Green to a 0-0 draw Sunday at home. The Golden Flashes, which began the season with a six-game unbeaten streak, are scoring an average of 2.0 goals per game while allowing just 0.89 per contest.
Junior forward Jaclyn Dutton has scored eight of Kent State's 18 goals this season and assisted on two others. She leads the MAC in both goals and points (18). Sophomore forward Stephanie Haugh is tied for fifth in the league with 12 points on four goals and four assists.
Freshman keeper Stephanie Senn has started eight of the team's nine games and played the majority of time between the posts. She owns a goals against average of 0.67 (No. 1 in the MAC) and a save percentage of .846.
SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio (6-4-0, 1-1-0 MAC) split a pair of 1-0 decisions in its opening MAC weekend, winning at Bowling Green and falling at Central Michigan. The Bobcats will host Miami University on Friday before Ball State visits on Sunday.
Senior midfielder Cat Rogers is tied for third in the league with a team-high five goals and also leads Ohio with 12 total points. Freshman forward Holly Harris and junior midfielder/forward Maggie Murnane own five points each with two goals and one assist apiece.
Junior goalkeeper Mattie Liston owns a goals against average of 1.05 and a save percentage of .833. She has helped the Bobcats record five of their six victories by shutout and leads the league in that category.
ALL-TIME VERSUS THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS
The all-time series between Ball State and Kent State is even at 6-6-2. The Golden Flashes own a 5-2 advantage in games played in Kent, Ohio, and they have won the last three meetings overall, including a 2-0 win last year in Muncie.
Ball State trails the all-time series with Ohio, 4-9-2, although the Cardinals are 3-2-2 versus the Bobcats since 2005. The teams played to a 1-1 draw last season in Muncie. The Bobcats have won six of the previous eight meetings in Athens, Ohio.
BENYROVA EARNS WEEKLY MAC DEFENSIVE AWARD
Pavla Benyrova was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after helping Ball State to a 2-0 start to league play.
Benyrova scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick last Friday against Buffalo and assisted on another goal in Sunday's win over Akron. Her strong defensive play in both games provided Ball State's opponents virtually no chances on her side of the field. She anchored a back line that surrendered just nine shots on goal for the weekend.
MOSES COMING ON STRONG
Sophomore forward Jasmine Moses has scored three goals in the past four games. After being held scoreless through the first six contests of the season, the 2011 MAC All-Freshman Team selection scored her first goal of the season Sept. 8 against Detroit. She has since added goals Sept. 16 against Butler and Sept. 23 against Akron.
All three of Moses' goals have come in the first 10 minutes of those games. She scored seven goals last season and already ranks 10th in school history with 10 goals for her career.
BLOK, STARCK SCORE FIRST COLLEGIATE GOALS
The first career goals for junior midfielder Michelle Blok and sophomore midfielder Cailey Starck helped Ball State to its two wins last weekend. Blok scored the game-tying goal in last Friday's eventual victory over Buffalo, and Starck scored the game-winner Sunday against Akron from 30 yards out in the 82nd minute. Blok assisted on Starck's goal.
TOP-NOTCH DEFENSE
After surrendering three goals in its season opener at Marshall, Ball State has allowed just nine goals over its past nine games. That stretch includes a Sept. 2 shutout of IPFW and seven games in which the Cardinals have held their opponent to exactly one goal. Butler is the only team since the season opener to score more than one goal on Ball State.
OUT-SHOOTING THE OPPOSITION
Ball State has given itself more scoring opportunities than its opponents this season, out-shooting them by a combined total of 154-96. The Cardinals have logged more shots than their opponent in nine straight games and held their largest advantage in their most recent outing when they out-shot Akron by a 26-11 margin.
PEMBLETON COMING UP CLUTCH
Sophomore forward Nicole Pembleton has played a part in three Ball State goals this season, and all three of them have helped to decide the outcomes of games.
Pembleton's first collegiate goal was the game-winner in the second overtime Aug. 26 against Xavier. She assisted on the game-winning goal Sept. 2 against IPFW and then scored the game-tying goal Sept. 7 at Hawai'i to help Ball State earn a 1-1 draw.
BUEHLER IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Senior goalkeeper Aubrey Buehler's shutout against IPFW on Sept. 2 was the 13th of her career. It was her eighth since transferring to Ball State after playing her freshman year at UT Martin. Buehler ranks fourth in school history in wins (18) and saves (130).
REDER ON THE ALL-TIME CHARTS
Senior defender Brigit Reder is tied for seventh on Ball State's all-time goals scored list with 11 in her career. She also ranks 14th on the Cardinals' list for career points with 25 (11 goals, three assists).
CHEW PICKS UP PAIR OF HONORS
Senior defender Skylar Chew was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week by the league office and the MAC Player of the Week by College Sports Madness after the season's second weekend. She scored one goal and assisted on another in the Ball State Tournament (Aug. 24-26) while helping the Cardinals limit their opponents to just 10 shots on goal over two games.
BSU PRESEASON HONORS
College Sports Madness named its Preseason All-Mid-American Conference teams in August, and Ball State was well-represented with three selections. Senior defender Brigit Reder was selected to the 13-member first team, while sophomore forward Jasmine Moses was recognized on the 13-member second team. Additionally, freshman midfielder/defender Kaila Mack was picked as the league's preseason Freshman of the Year.
MORE ON THE CARDINALS
BSU is coming off a 9-9-3 campaign last year as the Cardinals improved for the second consecutive season under head coach Craig Roberts. This year's team is much more experienced with the return of 21 letterwinners and eight starters from a year ago.
Leading scorer Brigit Reder returns for her senior year following an all-conference junior season in which she totaled 16 points and led all Mid-American Conference defenders with seven goals. Sophomore forward Jasmine Moses also scored seven goals for the Cardinals last season in her rookie campaign, but Reder and Moses are just two of a total of 14 returning BSU players who tallied points last year.
Ball State also features a pair of experienced goalkeepers in senior Aubrey Buehler and junior Layne Schramm. Buehler started 19 games in 2011 and posted a 1.30 goals against average.
THIRD SEASON FOR ROBERTS
The Cardinals are in their third season under the direction of head coach Craig Roberts. The program won just four games a year prior to Roberts' arrival but managed seven wins in his first season in 2010 and then improved to 9-9-3 in 2011.
Last year's team won seven games in an eight-game stretch in the middle of the season despite fielding a roster with a combined 18 freshmen and sophomores.
BSU PICKED FOURTH IN MAC WEST
Ball State was chosen fourth in the Mid-American Conference West Division in the annual preseason poll of the league's head coaches. The Cardinals will look to improve on that prediction like they did a year ago when they were picked sixth in the preseason poll but finished fourth with a league record of 4-5-2.
