Ball State University Athletics
Soccer Hosts Kent State Sunday in MAC Quarters
October 31, 2014 | Soccer
The Ball State soccer team begins Mid-American Conference Tournament play Sunday with a 1 p.m. quarterfinal contest against Kent State at the Briner Sports Complex.
The fourth-seeded Cardinals and fifth-seeded Golden Flashes enter the game with remarkably similar records on the season. Ball State is 10-6-2 (6-5 MAC) after finishing second in the MAC West Division. Kent State is 10-6-3 (5-4-2 MAC).
The teams met just three weeks ago in Kent, Ohio, with Ball State coming away as a 1-0 winner. Victoria Jacobs scored the game's only goal in the 34th minute, while goalkeeper Alyssa Heintschel recorded a shutout in her first collegiate start.
Live audio for Sunday's quarterfinal will be provided by Ball State's student radio station, WCRD, and streamed at ballstatesports.com.
Ball State will be looking to recapture its postseason magic from last season when it reached the tournament's championship game. The Cardinals accomplished that feat as the No. 6 seed and enter this year's tournament two spots better.
Ball State's second-place finish in the MAC West was its best since the league went to a divisional format in 2010, and it secured the Cardinals their first home tournament game since 2007. The team went 4-2 down the stretch with its only losses coming to the tournament's top two seeds, Buffalo and Miami.
Kent State finished third in the MAC East Division behind those same two teams. The Golden Flashes secured the No. 5 seed Thursday with a 3-2 overtime victory at Ohio.
Kent State has scored 28 goals on the season, just one fewer than Ball State. Jenna Hellstrom leads the Flashes' attack with seven goals and 20 total points.
For Ball State, one of its biggest strengths all year has been its balance. Five different Cardinals have scored at least three goals this season: Gabby Veldman (4), Leah Mattingly (4), Madison Oyer (3), Jasmine Moses (3) and Jacobs (3).
The winner of Sunday's game will advance to meet the winner of another quarterfinal game between No. 1 seed Buffalo and No. 8 seed Toledo. The top remaining seed at the conclusion of Sunday's four quarterfinal games will host the semifinals and finals next weekend.
