Soccer Travels to Miami With Chance at Title

Thursday, October 26

Oxford, Ohio

3:00 PM

Ball State University

Miami

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

October 25, 2017 | Soccer

Cardinals enter final game narrowly behind first-place Kent State

Game 19
Ball State at Miami
Thursday, Oct. 26 (3 p.m.)
Oxford, Ohio (Miami Soccer Field)
Live Stats

For the third straight year, the Ball State soccer team enters its game against Miami with a chance at the Mid-American Conference regular season championship.

The Cardinals clinched the title two years ago at Miami Soccer Field and locked it up last year with a victory over the RedHawks in Muncie.

This year, the Cardinals will need a little help in achieving that goal.

Ball State, which has already secured the MAC West Division crown, is one point behind Kent State for first place in the overall league standings. BSU needs a better result Thursday than the Golden Flashes, who close the year at home against Ohio.

The Cardinals can win the championship outright with a victory at Miami coupled with a loss or tie by Kent State. They can earn a share of the title with a tie at Miami and a loss by Kent State. In that scenario, BSU would earn the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament based on its head-to-head victory over the Flashes during the regular season.

Ball State (9-6-3, 7-1-2 MAC) locked up a third straight division title a week ago with a 2-1 victory at Buffalo. Yela Ziswiler scored both goals for the Cardinals on the way to being named MAC Offensive Player of the Week.

BSU then closed the week with a scoreless draw at Akron to climb within a point of Kent State in the standings.

Miami (2-14-1, 2-7-1 MAC) suffered 1-0 losses to the same opponents Ball State faced last week. The RedHawks have been involved in a number of close games in conference play and have won their past two home contests, sweeping their most recent home weekend with Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.

Regardless of Thursday's outcomes, Ball State will host a quarterfinal game in the MAC Tournament. That game will be played Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Briner Sports Complex.