Field Hockey Flash Back To The 1985 MAC Championship
November 20, 2015 | Field Hockey
MUNCIE, Ind. – In November of 1985, the Ball State field hockey team won its third consecutive Mid-American Conference Championship title. The feat was just one of 16 MAC Championship titles that the Cardinals have earned in the 41 year history of the field hockey program.
To honor the 30 year anniversary of the 1985 Ball State field hockey team, below is a flashback to the Ball State Daily News article published recapping the accomplishment.
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Field hockey team defeats Kent State to win 3rd MAC championship title
By Mike Rashe
Ball State Daily News – Nov. 4, 1985
Despite losing five players from last year's squad, including the leading scorer, the Ball State field hockey team emerged Saturday over Kent State 2-1 in double-overtime to claim the Mid-American Conference Championship for the third consecutive year.
The victory came before an estimated crowd of about 100 at the Ball State Field Hockey Field.
The Cardinals earned their berth in the championship match by defeating Toledo 3-1 in the semi-final Friday. Kent State beat Miami of Ohio 2-1 in double overtime to earn its berth.
Compiling a record of 14-4 overall and a perfect 9-0 MAC mark, the Cardinals completed their season by becoming the only Ball State team ever to win three MAC titles.
Amidst a season considered to be a rebuilding year, Ball State closed with victories in their last 11 games and established a 26-game winning streak against MAC opponents.
Saturday's contest featured two teas which last year battled to a 1-1 tie during regulation and three overtime periods before the Cardinals defeated the Flashes 2-1 after a five player flick-off situation in the semi-final round.
This year, top-seeded Ball State gained the initial score in the game when sophomore regular season leading-scorer Kelly Dawson bumped in a goal after three misfired attempts by senior June Lenher and one by senior Karen Burkholder.
The goal came with 5:12 left in the 35-minute half.
In the second half, junior Melanie Spangler responded for the Flashes as she knotted the score at one apiece with 7:18 left in regulation time.
After the first 10-minute overtime period, junior Lisa Brown connected for the winning goal for the Cards three minutes into the second overtime session.
“The ball was coming from the left side of the field when I saw it and I just dodged right and fired it in,” Brown said about the goal after her third MAC championships victory experience.
As a team, Ball State owned a 24-17 edge in the shots-on-goal department, however, the Flashes outshot the hosts 13-5 in second half play.
Kent State concluded their season with a 13-5 overall record and a 6-3 standing against MAC competition.
“I thought the team played good today since they moved the ball well by using quick transitions with the ball,” Kent State Coach Kris Ewing said after the game.
“In essence, I though Kent State hit every key possible which needed to be touched on in order to beat Ball State,” Ewing said.
“Kent State played a very good game and dominated a good part of the second half,” Karen Fitzpatrick, Cardinal coach, said.
“On the other hand, Ball State had a fairly good performance and also played hard, although the mental preparation for Toledo's game seemed to take a lot out of the team today.”
Fitzpatrick said Ball State's tougher regular season schedule helped her younger players.
“Both teams had two seniors and quite a few sophomores and freshmen, but our younger personnel were probably more exposed to pressure situations and how to handle them due to the difference in scheduling,” Fitzpatrick said.
The Cardinals started seven freshman or sophomores in the starting lineup. Ball State competed against five teams during the year which were ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation.
In Friday's semi-final match, Ball State propelled themselves into Saturday's championship game by defeating Toledo 3-1. Toledo finished the year with a record of 7-12 and a MAC slate of 4-4.
Lenher was credited with a team-leading seven shots-on-goal as the Cardinals outshot the Rockets 15-12.
Cardinal freshman Sharon Barnwell punched in a goal to provide the first score of the game. Toledo senior Kathy Hudson answered for the Rockets by banging in a goal.
In the second half, Lenher knocked in two goals to end Toledo's season. The first goal took place as she scored on an assist from Burkholder with 7:31 gone in the half. An assist from Dawson set up her second goal.
“The difference in this game and the reason Ball State won, I thought was because the team just controlled the game,” Lenher said.
Dawson attributed the Cardinals' success in the Toledo content to a change in their style of play.
“The reason Ball State won this particular game was that in the second half the team began to play with more stick-to-stick style and stopped going to the banging type of play used in the first half. Whenever we were slamming the ball, the other team gained control of the game,” Dawson said.
Fitzpatrick said Ball State progressed much faster than she expected this year.