Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey Faces Off With No. 21 Miami, Bellarmine
October 08, 2015 | Field Hockey
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State (1-11, 0-1 MAC) field hockey team will continue Mid-American Conference action this week when it hits the road to take on Miami (7-6, 2-0 MAC) Friday evening and will then welcome non-conference Bellarmine (6-3, 2-0 ECAC) on Sunday afternoon. The MAC competition is slated for a 4 p.m. start, while Sunday's non-conference action is timed for a 1 p.m. start and will be Ball State's Pink Game. The team will be wearing pink gear in support of breast cancer awareness.
Last weekend, the Cardinals were faced with back-to-back losses by MAC foe Longwood and non-conference opponent Virginia Commonwealth in road action. In Friday afternoon's matchup, Ball State fell to Longwood 3-1 despite senior Bethany Han (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) notching her first goal of the season.
The Cardinals and the Lancers remained scoreless through nearly the first half, until Longwood's Becky Danaher opened the scoring. Han responded for the Cardinals quickly after halftime, dribbling in an unassisted shot to the bottom right corner of the net just 1:34 in, in the 36th minute overall.
Longwood then closed out the scoring with goals in the 42nd and 44th minutes to finalize the score at 3-1 in favor of the Lancers.
Back in net, junior goalkeeper Jordan Dues (Fallbrook, Calif./Fallbrook) recorded an astonishing 12 saves when faced with 22 attempted shots.
In a quick turnaround, the Cardinals played in a matchup against Virginia Commonwealth on Sunday afternoon, in which they fell to the Rams 3-2 in a narrow battle.
The Cardinals and the Rams remained scoreless through just the first 15 minutes, until Ball State's leading scorer Lexi Kavanaugh(Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon Verona Sherrill) opened the scoring off a deflection from a penalty corner shot by Bryce Barnes (Fredericksburg, Va./Mountain View). VCU's Kaylee Maunz responded abruptly in the 17th minute.
Han then scored quickly after halftime, 37 minutes in, making it her second game with an unassisted goal in a row. VCU then closed out the scoring with goals in the 53rd and 60thminutes to finalize the score at 3-2 in favor of the Rams.
Overall, junior Lexi Kavanaugh (Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon Verona Sherrill) remains as the leading scorer for the Cardinals 12 games in, with 14 points (six goals, two assists). On the season, goalkeeper Dues holds a .635 save percentage, 3.50 GAA and a total of 73 saves as the 12-time starting goalkeeper.
SCOUTING No. 21 MIAMI: The Redhawks are looking to improve to a 3-0 MAC record in this Friday's matchup. The last time Miami went 3-0 in the MAC in 2013, the team ultimately won the MAC Tournament and continued on to earn their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Also being ranked No. 21 nationally, the Redhawks are the highest-ranked MAC team in the country, while marking the second-most shut-outs in the country, with five. Miami's only losses on record thus far have come from six opponents who have been ranked in the top-10 nationally. Standouts for the Redhawks include Bea Dechant, who has notched four goals in the last four games, with six overall, and Paula Portugal, who has tallied six goals, three of which have been game-winners. Coming off of MAC victories of 2-1 over Longwood and 3-0 over Missouri State, head coach Inako Puzo is aiming to continue the aggressive offensive streak for the Redhawks.
SERIES HISTORY: Most recently, the last matchup between the two schools closed out the regular season on Nov. 1, 2014, where Miami posted a 6-3 victory at the Briner Sports Complex. Historically, the Cardinals hold a 44-22 (.667) advantage over Miami, although the last three matchups have been in favor of the Redhawks.
SCOUTING BELLARMINE: In the midst of a five-game road stretch, the Knights hope to ride out the momentum of a 2-1 overtime win against Centre College to improve their 6-3 record. The Division II program has finalized six of their nine games by just a one-goal differential, while no matchup has had more than a two-goal spread. Being led by junior Kelsey O'Bryan, junior Katherine Schneidtmiller and senior Alexis Van Wallaghen, who have posted five goals each, Bellarmine is averaging 2.44 goals per game and tally a total of 117 attempted shots. Goalkeeping duties have been split between senior Alexandra Moro, who marks 2.71 goals against average and .531 save percentage in her 387 minutes, while junior Sara Nicolas boasts 0.85 goals against average and a .833 save percentage in her 247 minutes. Head coach Mark Blankenbaker is in his fifth season at the helm of the program.
SERIES HISTORY: This will mark just the second matchup between Ball State and Bellarmine, with the Cardinals holding a 1-0 advantage over the Knights. On Oct. 28, 2012, the Cardinals defeated Bellarmine at home 3-0.
Live stats will be available for fans unable to attend at:
BELLARMINE: http://www.ballstatesports.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=14200&LIST_SPORT__FIELD_HOCKEY
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State field hockey, check out BallStateSports.com and follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateFH on Twitter.
