Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey Hosts Ohio, Iowa In Non-Conference Play
September 24, 2015 | Field Hockey
Game 9 - Saturday, Sept. 26 at Noon ET
Ball State vs. Ohio (Non-Conference)
BSU Turf Field at Briner Sports Complex
Live Stats | SL Digital Audio
Game 10 - Sunday, Sept. 27 at Noon ET
Ball State vs. No. 16 Iowa
BSU Turf Field at Briner Sports Complex
Live Stats | ESPN3 Broadcast
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State (1-7) field hockey team will continue non-conference action this week when it welcomes Ohio (3-4) on Saturday and No. 16 Iowa (6-3, 1-0 Big Ten) on Sunday. Both matchups are slated for a noon start at the BSU Turf Field in the Briner Sports Complex.
In its lone game of last week, Ball State fell to in-state rival Indiana 4-2 despite two Cardinals scoring their first goals of the season.
The Cardinals and the Hoosiers remained scoreless through the first 12 minutes of the game. Senior Natalie Jardell (Granville, Ohio/Granville) notched her first of the season with the help of Bethany Han (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) and Bryce Barnes (Fredericksburg, Va./Mountain View) off of a penalty corner opportunity.
Sophomore Carley Shannon (Williamsburg, Va./Bruton) then rounded out the day's scoring in the 57th minute after she tipped in a penalty corner deflection from redshirt senior Bianca Velez (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellum/Beach Premiere) to finalize the score at 4-2 in favor of the Hoosiers.
Overall, junior Lexi Kavanaugh (Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon Verona Sherrill) remains as the leading scorer for the Cardinals eight games in, with 12 points (five goals, two assists), of which earned her Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors, announced Sept. 15. On the season, junior goalkeeper Jordan Dues (Fallbrook, Calif./Fallbrook) holds a .629 save percentage, 3.25 GAA and a total of 44 saves as the eight-time starting goalkeeper.
SCOUTING OHIO: The Bobcats are coming off a narrow 3-2 loss to in-state rival Ohio State on Sunday, following a victory over Appalachian State 4-0. Leading the Ohio offense is Maria Russell, who sports five goals and one assist for 11 points, while the team averages 2.29 goals per game. Creating a battle at the net, goalkeeper Lina Trucco has already stopped 34 shots, and averages 2.75 goals against average, while the Bobcats defense is limiting opponents to just 2.71 goals and 12.3 shots per game. Ohio is led by three-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, Neil Macmillan.
SERIES HISTORY: Most recently, the last matchup between the two schools was Oct. 19, 2014, where Ohio rallied in a 5-3 victory at home. Historically, the Bobcats hold a 38-35 (.521) advantage over the Cardinals.
SCOUTING NO. 16 IOWA: In the midst of a five-game road stretch, the Hawkeyes have earned a 6-3 record, including 1-0 in the Big Ten. Seven opponents on Iowa's schedule are nationally ranked, although they have tallied a Big Ten best 33 assists through nine games. Being the fifth Big Ten opponents the Cardinals face this season, Iowa has notched the sixth most goals in the country with 31, and average of 3.44 goals per game. Being led by junior Stephanie Norlander, who ranks third in the country with 23 points scored, the Hawkeyes are outscoring their opponents 31-15 with an average of 1.77 margin of victory. Iowa field hockey is led by 16th year head coach Lisa Cellucci.
SERIES HISTORY: The Hawkeyes hold the all-time series advantage 22-2 since 1977, with the last Ball State victory coming in a 5-0 win in 1997. Most recently, Iowa downed the Cardinals 8-0 on Oct. 3, 2014 in Iowa City.
Live stats will be available for both games for fans unable to attend at: http://www.ballstatesports.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=14200&LIST_SPORT__FIELD_HOCKEY
Live ESPN3 broadcast of the Ball State vs. No. 16 Iowa will be available at: http://es.pn/1Fl0Vmw
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State field hockey, check out BallStateSports.com and follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateFH on Twitter.
