Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
12-3-2 (8-1MAC)
Akron
6-10-1 (3-6MAC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ball State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Soccer Handcuffs Akron in Senior Day Shutout
October 23, 2015 | Soccer
MUNCIE, Ind. -- It didn't take the Ball State soccer team long to bounce back from having its eight-game winning streak snapped.
The Cardinals celebrated Senior Day with a 1-0 victory over Akron on Friday at the Briner Sports Complex. Senior Madison Oyer scored the game's only goal to keep the Cardinals atop the Mid-American Conference standings with two regular season games left.
Ball State (12-3-2, 8-1 MAC) remained perfect at home with a 5-0 record and will close out its regular-season home schedule Sunday at 2 p.m. against Buffalo.
“It's always a highly emotional day on Senior Day, but our girls kept to the task at hand,” Ball State coach Craig Roberts said. “We really appreciate our seniors and what they contribute. Again today, they contributed to the win and gave great effort as they've done the whole time they've been here.”
The scoreboard may have read 1-0 at the end of the game, but that was not a true indication of how one-sided the action really was. The Cardinals did not allow a single shot attempt for Akron (6-10-1, 3-6 MAC), and they registered 22 of their own.
Akron goalkeeper Annabelle Hegeman made 10 saves to keep the score close, and Ball State didn't convert on a few other chances.
“There wasn't a lack of creation of opportunities today,” Roberts said. “I was a bit disappointed with our finishing. I felt it should have been a lot better, and that's something we'll address. But defensively, we were solid and locked it down.”
Oyer's goal came in the 22nd minute. Leah Mattingly sent a beautiful ball over the top from the center line, and Oyer was there to collect it and put it past Hegeman. It was her first goal of the season (fourth of her BSU career), as she became the 11th different player to record a goal for the Cardinals this year.
“I'm proud of Madi; she has really been working on getting forward and trying to convert goals for us,” Roberts said. “The work she has been putting in has paid off, and hopefully it will open the door for more goals to come from her.”
Alyssa Heintschel played the full 90 minutes between the posts to record Ball State's sixth shutout of the season. Elaina Musleh paced the offensive attack with four shots, while Abbie Boswell had three.
The Cardinals' win kept them two points clear of Western Michigan for first place in the league race. They surpassed their win total of 11 from each of the past two seasons and reached the 12-win mark for the first time since 2007.
Ball State also secured a home game for the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament Nov. 1.
Prior to the game, the team honored its seven seniors -- Jenna Finke, Kalynn Flanagan, Erin Greeley, Lauren Hall, Musleh, Oyer and Chelsy Swackhamer.
Team Stats
OYER, Madison (1)
Assisted By: MATTINGLY, Leah
off long pass over the top
21:12
