Ball State University Athletics
Three Matchups On Hand For Ball State Field Hockey
September 03, 2015 | Field Hockey
MUNCIE, Ind. – After a slow 0-2 start to the 2015 season, the Ball State field hockey team will continue action this week at Villanova (0-2) on Friday, at LaSalle (1-1) on Sunday and will open home action against No. 10 Northwestern (1-1) on Tuesday. Both the Villanova and LaSalle matchups will take place in Philadelphia, Pa., while the home opener will take place at the Briner Sports Complex.
In last weekend's season opener, Ball State dropped a 0-4 decision against undefeated Rutgers (2-0) Saturday afternoon on the road. Junior goalkeeper Jordan Dues (Fallbrook, Calif./Fallbrook) tallied an aggressive seven saves for a 0.636 save percentage, while the Cardinals marked five shot attempts.
To round out the weekend, the team took on Lafayette, where it fell in a narrow 2-3 final. Junior Lexi Kavanaugh (Sherrill, N.Y./Vernon Verona Sherrill) led the Cardinals with one goal and one assist, in addition to four shots.
Junior Merinda Morley (University City, Mo./University City) was assisted by Kavanaugh to cinch her first goal of the season which rounded out the Ball State scoring after a deflection in front of the goal. The goal was one of two shots on net that Morley recorded.
Junior Morgan Nash (Houston, Texas/Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart) stepped up to assist Kavanaugh in tallying Ball State's first goal, while fellow junior Mikayla Mooney (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield School) marked three of the Cardinals 13 attempted shots.
This week's lineup has a 4 p.m. start at Villanova, noon start at LaSalle and a 3 p.m. start against No. 10 Northwestern.
SCOUTING VILLANOVA: The Wildcats are coming off losing their first two games at home this season. On Aug. 30 the team took on Sacred Heart and lost 1-0 in overtime, despite dominating ball possession with 20 shots throughout regulation. Sunday Villanova took on LaSalle and fell in a 2-1 final at home, with the lone Wildcats goal coming from sophomore Francesca Bello. Last season, Villanova posted a 4-14 overall record, including a 1-8 record on the road.
SERIES HISTORY: Most recently, the last matchup between the two schools was in 2009, when the Wildcats won 4-1 at home.
SCOUTING LASALLE: The Sunday matchup with the Cardinals will be the 2015 home opener for the Explorers. After an 11-7 run, including a 6-1 home record in the 2014 season, LaSalle is set to pose as a tough road matchup for the Cardinals. The Explorers split last weekend's season opening play, with a 1-5 loss to Maine, and a 2-1 win over Villanova. LaSalle is also competing on the road Friday at Georgetown to open this weekend's action, prior to welcoming Ball State Sunday afternoon.
SCOUTING NO. 10 NORTHWESTERN: Last weekend the Wildcats welcomed No. 1 Connecticut and Northeastern to open the season. Northwestern split the weekend, with a 1-4 loss to Connecticut and a 4-1 win over Northeastern. Prior to traveling to take on the Cardinals Tuesday afternoon, the Wildcats will take on Duke Friday evening and Boston College Sunday morning in Lancaster, Pa. Presenting a veteran program with seven seniors and six juniors, Northwestern will be an experienced competitor for Ball State, in addition to being their first nationally ranked opponent of the season.
SERIES HISTORY: Northwestern holds the all-time advantage over the Cardinals, with a 20-7-2 overall record. Last season, Northwestern posted a 5-1 win at home over Ball State in the two teams' lone 2014 matchup.
Live stats will be available for fans at:
LASALLE: http://www.sidearmstats.com/lasalle/fhockey/
NORTHWESTERN: http://www.ballstatesports.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?SPID=7632&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.
