Soccer Starts Tourney Title Chase Sunday vs. NIU

Sunday, October 30

Muncie, Ind.

1:00 PM

Ball State University

Northern Illinois

Photo by: Scott McNitt

October 28, 2016 | Soccer

Tournament Notes MAC Tournament Bracket

Game will air on ESPN3, produced by Ball State Sports Link

MAC Tournament Quarterfinals
(1) Ball State vs. (8) Northern Illinois
Sunday, Oct. 30 (1 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Briner Sports Complex)
Watch (ESPN3) | Live Stats

The Ball State soccer team wrapped up its quest for one championship Thursday afternoon against Miami. It begins the chase for another one Sunday at 1 p.m.

Fresh off a second straight Mid-American Conference regular season title, the Cardinals are the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament. They will host Northern Illinois in the quarterfinal round. The game will air on ESPN3, produced by Ball State Sports Link.

The teams met during the regular season in DeKalb, Illinois, with Ball State posting a 2-0 victory during the team's school-record 10-game unbeaten streak. Sam Kambol and Emily Scott scored the goals, while Alyssa Heintschel kept a clean sheet for one of the Cardinals' 10 shutouts this year.

The win was one of 14 this season for Ball State, which is one shy of the school record. The Cardinals (14-3-2) went 9-1-1 in league play on the way to becoming the first MAC team since the 2007 Ball State squad to win back-to-back outright regular season titles.

Northern Illinois (4-10-4) went 3-6-2 in conference play to earn the tournament's No. 8 seed. The Huskies are coming off a 2-1 loss at Western Michigan in the final regular season game. NIU's strength has been defensively with a 1.16 goals against average. Taylor Sarver is the team's leading scorer, having registered six of the Huskies' 11 goals.

Ball State counters with the league's top defense and a 0.71 goals against average. Seven of the 14 goals the Cardinals have allowed came in two games. Opponents in the other 17 games have scored just seven times combined.

Ball State was as good as it has been all season across the board in Thursday's championship-clinching victory over Miami. The Cardinals came out firing and generated 34 total shots and 16 corner-kick opportunities. The RedHawks, meanwhile, couldn't register a shot until the 88th minute.

All four of the MAC Tournament quarterfinal games will be played Sunday at 1 p.m. The other game in Ball State's half of the bracket features No. 5 seed Miami at No. 4 seed Western Michigan. The other half of the bracket has No. 7 seed Eastern Michigan at No. 2 seed Kent State and No. 6 seed Buffalo at No. 3 seed Central Michigan.

As the top seed in the tournament, Ball State has earned the right to host throughout. If the Cardinals advance, they would host the semifinals and finals the weekend of Nov. 4-6.