Ball State University
Kent State (#5 seed)
Soccer Shuts out Kent State to Reach MAC Semis
November 02, 2014 | Soccer
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Elaina Musleh's two second-half goals propelled the Ball State soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Kent State in Sunday's Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal at the Briner Sports Complex.
The win put the fourth-seeded Cardinals (11-6-2) into the semifinals for the second year in a row. They will travel to face No. 1 seed Buffalo at 4 p.m. Friday. The other half of the draw features a match between No. 6 seed Western Michigan and No. 7 seed Northern Illinois.
Musleh picked the right time for a breakthrough performance Sunday, helping Ball State continue its season with its second victory of the year over Kent State (10-7-3).
“I only had one goal this season, and it had become mental for me,” Musleh said. “It was getting over that mental hump and just believing in myself. After that first goal today, I had the feeling that I am back and I can do this.”
The game was scoreless at the half, but that changed in the 63rd minute when Leah Mattingly lined up a free kick near midfield. Musleh was able to get free behind the Kent State defense, where she met the ball and found the net.
The junior from Carmel, Ind., struck again less than 15 minutes later when she took a pass from Jasmine Moses near the top right corner of the box and beat Kent State keeper Stephanie Senn to the far post.
“We talked about not being as direct as we were in the first half,” Ball State coach Craig Roberts said. “We wanted to try to link our passes a little more through the middle. Kent State is very good in the air. They win a lot of headers off re-starts, and we wanted to be more competitive in that area. Our players stepped up in the second have and did a great job with that.”
The two goals were more than enough for Ball State keeper Alyssa Heintschel and the back line. The Cardinals posted their ninth shutout of the year, one shy of the school record, to match their total from last season.
Heintschel recorded her fourth solo shutout in seven starts this season, stopping all four shots she faced. The Cardinals also successfully defended against seven Kent State corner kicks.
Ball State will now face Buffalo in a rematch of a game played nine days ago at UB Stadium. The game went to overtime before a controversial hand-ball call gave Buffalo a penalty kick opportunity. The Bulls capitalized for a 2-1 win.
The Cardinals will have the benefit of some recent experience at this stage of the tournament. They advanced through the semifinals in a penalty kick shootout last year against Miami to reach the championship game for the first time ever.
