Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey Looks For A Win In MAC Game at Ohio
October 15, 2015 | Field Hockey
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State (2-12, 0-2 MAC) field hockey team will continue Mid-American Conference action this week when it hits the road to take on Ohio (6-6, 1-1 MAC) Friday evening at 7 p.m.
The Cardinals split last weekend by MAC foe Miami and non-conference opponent Bellarmine in road and home action, respectively. In Friday afternoon's matchup, Ball State fell to Miami 3-0, while the Cardinals were then able turn it around on Sunday to earn their second win of the season 7-1 against Division II Bellarmine.
The Cardinals and the RedHawks remained scoreless through nearly the first half, until Miami's Geagy Pritchard scored her first of two goals in the 31st minute off a deflection in front of the net. Pritchard's second came in the 60th minute after senior Natalie Jardell (Granville, Ohio/Granville) tallied her first defensive save of the season. Miami's Paula Portugal then finalized the score at 3-0 on an unassisted rebound shot just one minute later.
Back in net, junior goalkeeper Jordan Dues (Fallbrook, Calif./Fallbrook) suited up to make her 13th start of the season and recorded eight saves when faced with a demanding 25 attempted shots.
In Sunday's much-needed victory to gain momentum going into the remaining MAC games of the season, the Cardinals posted a 7-1 dominate victory over the Bellarmine Knights at home to close out non-conference competition.
Putting Ball State up on the board early was leading scorer, junior Lexi Kavanaugh (Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon Verona Sherrill) in the fourth minute off a penalty corner opportunity, making it her seventh of the season. After marking the assist on Kavanaugh's goal, redshirt senior Bianca Velez (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellum/Beach Premiere) slid one into the back of the net when she received a pass from outside the circle and was wide open straight out from the cage, giving the Cardinals a two goal lead just 18 minutes in.
Redshirt sophomore Merinda Morley (University City, Mo./University City) then notched back-to-back goals in the 46th and 56th minutes, both off of penalty corner opportunities, improving her season total to three goals and one assist.
Ball State then displayed three new goal-scorers, including freshman Beth Barnes (Fredericksburg, Va./Mountain View) who received a pass from the far side across the circle and tucked the ball in the lower left corner of the cage to tally her first collegiate career goal. Just two minutes later in the 65th minute, junior Morgan Nash (Houston, Texas/Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart) earned her first of the season when she nailed the back of the net after taking a shot through heavy traffic out at the edge of the circle. In quick succession, sophomore Abbey Main (West Chester, Ohio (Ursuline Academy) punched in her first goal of the season just one minute later, with a rebound goal off a penalty corner opportunity to close out the Cardinals offensive strike.
Overall, Kavanaugh remains as the leading scorer for the Cardinals 14 games in, with 17 points (seven goals, three assists). On the season, starting goalkeeper Dues holds a .654 save percentage, 3.33 GAA and a total of 85 saves as the 14-time starting goalkeeper.
SCOUTING OHIO: The Bobcats are coming off a major 4-1 win over Michigan State on Oct. 11, and are in the midst of a three-game home stand. Leading the Ohio offense is Maria Russell, who sports 11 goals and 0.75 goals per match, of which leads the MAC, while the team averages 2.33 goals per game, which ranks second in the MAC. Creating a battle at the net, goalkeeper Lina Trucco has already stopped 57 shots, and is currently ranked second in the MAC with a .658 save percentage, while the Bobcats defense is limiting opponents to just 2.41 goals and 14.1 shots per game. Ohio is led by three-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, Neil Macmillan.
SERIES HISTORY: Earlier this season, Ball State hosted Ohio on Sept. 26 in non-conference play, in which they fell to the Bobcats 4-2, which featured Russell's first career hat trick performance. Historically, Ohio hold a 39-35 (.527) advantage over the Cardinals, although the Bobcats have claimed 31 of the last 33 meetings between the two teams.
Live stats will be available for fans unable to attend at:
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State field hockey, check out BallStateSports.com and follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateFH on Twitter.
