Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
3-2-1
Middle Tennessee
4-1-0
Soccer Falls to Middle Tennessee, 1-0
September 06, 2015 | Soccer
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The Ball State soccer team suffered a 1-0 setback Sunday against Middle Tennessee to close out the “Stomp in the Swamp” at LSU.
The Cardinals (3-2-1), coming off a 1-1 draw against LSU, surrendered the game's only goal in the 70th minute. Middle Tennessee (4-1) has now won four games by a 1-0 score. The Blue Raiders' only loss came two days ago against Indiana.
“It's disappointing to lose today, but we wanted to learn from this weekend, and I think we showed ourselves we can play with the best of them,” Ball State coach Craig Roberts said. “Our team has matured and grown over this weekend, and we have exposed ourselves to different styles of play.
“The trip was also a chance to give our players some educational experiences away from the field and to enhance our team chemistry.”
Ball State applied some pressure early in the game, registering five shots in the first 15 minutes, but Middle Tennessee withstood the early attack. The Blue Raiders held a 7-3 edge in shots in the decisive second half.
Middle Tennessee broke a scoreless tie in the 70th minute when Tori Hawkins fed a corner kick to Brianna Jasenak for a header. It was the only one of the team's five shots on goal to get past Ball State keeper Alyssa Heintschel.
“We created chances, offensively, but we didn't convert them,” Roberts said. “We conceded a goal on a corner kick where they really kind of crowded Alyssa and obstructed her. We have to make sure we get better at dealing with set pieces like that. We'll give it a little more attention, and we'll be fine.”
The Cardinals managed a couple shots in the closing minutes, both from Leah Mattingly, but could not find the net. Kelsey Brouwer played the full 90 minutes in goal to post the shutout for Middle Tennessee.
Ball State will now have a week off before returning to action next Sunday at Indiana.
“Stomp in the Swamp” All-Tournament Team
Jorian Baucom, LSU
Kelsey Brouwer, Middle Tennessee State
Jessie Bujouves, Indiana
Veronica Ellis, Indiana
Courteney Gibson, Middle Tennessee State
Natalia Gomez-Junco, LSU
Heather Magee, LSU
Elaina Musleh, Ball State
Catalina Rubiano, LSU
Kayla Smith, Indiana
Grace Stewart, Middle Tennessee State
Lorina White, Ball State
Offensive MVP: Jorian Baucom, LSU
Defensive MVP: Alex Arlitt, LSU
Team Stats
JASENAK, Brianna
Assisted By: HAWKINS, Tori
Header from corner kick by #14.
69:45
