Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey To Take On MAC Foes Longwood, Ohio
October 16, 2014 | Field Hockey
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State field hockey team (5-7, 1-1 MAC) will continue Mid-American Conference play this weekend against Longwood (5-9, 1-3 MAC) Friday at 7 p.m. followed by Ohio (2-8, 1-2 MAC) Sunday at 1 p.m. on the road.
Ball State is coming off of an exciting sweep of Missouri State 5-0 and No. 20 Michigan State 2-1 in overtime. The Michigan State match was the Cardinals fourth Big Ten Conference opponent of the season and fifth against a ranked opponent.
Sophomore forward/midfielder Lexi Kavanaugh (Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon Verona Sherrill) recorded her first career hat trick against the Bears and scored the game winner against the Spartans along with junior goalkeeper Shelby Henley (Novi, Mich./Novi) registering her fourth career shutout Saturday afternoon. Both Kavanaugh and Henley were announced as MAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for their performances.
The Cardinals are ranked first in the MAC in goals against average (2.59) and ranked second in goals allowed (33), goals allowed per game (2.75), assists per game (1.75) and saves per game (6.75). Ball State's Henley is currently ranked seventh in the nation with her 6.15 saves per game average and first in the MAC with her 2.53 goals against average while ranked second with her 0.705 overall save percentage.
SCOUTING LONGWOOD: Longwood currently holds a 5-9 record in the 2014 season and 1-3 in conference play. The Lancers are second in the MAC in defensive saves (5), shots (147) and shots per game (11.31). Lauren Bernard has been in net for Longwood and has registered 37 goals against, 2.47 goals against average and a 0.622 save percentage while facing 172 shots. Jennifer Burris has scored eight goals for the Lancers, followed by Holly MacDonald with five.
SERIES HISTORY: Friday's game marks just the fourth time the teams have faced each other. Longwood goes into Friday's match with the 2-1 advantage over Ball State, though the Lancers have claimed victory most recently in 2012 with a 6-1 final. This Friday's matchup will be the first with MAC consequences on the line, as Longwood field hockey joined the Mid-American Conference in April of 2014.
SCOUTING OHIO: Ohio is 2-8 to start the season and 1-2 in MAC play. Goalkeeping duties have been covered by Brittany Walker for a total of 28 goals against, 2.82 goals against average while registering a 0.606 save percentage. The Bobcats lead the MAC with just 28 goals allowed and are ranked second with two recorded shutouts from Walker.
SERIES HISTORY: Ohio carries the 37-35 (0.514) all-time advantage over Ball State, although most recently the Cardinals came out on top 1-0 thanks to Bianca Velez (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam/Beach Premier)'s goal in Muncie on Oct. 26, 2013.
Live Stats will be available for both games this weekend at the following links:
LONGWOOD: http://www.sidearmstats.com/longwood/fhockey/
OHIO: http://www.ohiobobcats.com/gametracker/launch/gt_wfieldh.html?event=1364408
In addition, Longwood will be offering live streaming video at the following link:
http://www.bigsouthsports.com/live/9143
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State field hockey, check out BallStateSports.com and follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateFH on Twitter.
