Ball State University Athletics
Soccer Gains Experience from Matchup with Puerto Rico
April 22, 2017 | Soccer
Former Cardinal Lorina White leads Puerto Rico WNT to victory
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State soccer team finished on the short end Saturday against the Puerto Rico Women's National Team but came away from the experience drawing positives from taking on such a high caliber opponent.
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Puerto Rico emerged as a 5-1 winner at the Briner Sports Complex, bolstered by a pair of goals from former Ball State standout Lorina White.
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"I think any time you play a national team, you're always the underdog," Ball State coach Craig Roberts said. "From what I've seen of the Puerto Rico team, they have a lot of promise for the future. They have a talented group of individuals."
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Sam Kambol scored Ball State's goal, but it came after Puerto Rico jumped out to a 3-0 lead. White, the two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Year for the Cardinals, scored both of her goals in the first half. Both of them came off corner kick opportunities for her team.
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Kambol answered shortly before halftime when she stole the ball from the Puerto Rico keeper and found an empty net. The Cardinals went to halftime trailing 3-1 and came out with a more spirited attack in the second half.
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Ball State spent much of the final 45 minutes in the attacking third but could not find any more goals. Kambol had a shot hit the crossbar, and the Puerto Rico keeper saved an Amanda Shaw attempt in a one-on-one situation.
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For the half, Ball State had more shots and more corner kick opportunities.
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"We needed to raise our game to their level, and I think we did in the second half," Roberts said. "We had a much stronger performance in the second half than we had in the first, but we didn't capitalize on the chances we created. We needed to be physically stronger and quicker, and it took too much time for us to realize that."
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Puerto Rico added a pair of late goals from Micaela Castain and Maria Luisa Colon to stretch the final margin to 5-1.
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Saturday's game marked the end of Ball State's spring schedule. The back-to-back MAC regular season champions will look to begin another championship run this fall.
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Puerto Rico emerged as a 5-1 winner at the Briner Sports Complex, bolstered by a pair of goals from former Ball State standout Lorina White.
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"I think any time you play a national team, you're always the underdog," Ball State coach Craig Roberts said. "From what I've seen of the Puerto Rico team, they have a lot of promise for the future. They have a talented group of individuals."
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Sam Kambol scored Ball State's goal, but it came after Puerto Rico jumped out to a 3-0 lead. White, the two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Year for the Cardinals, scored both of her goals in the first half. Both of them came off corner kick opportunities for her team.
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Kambol answered shortly before halftime when she stole the ball from the Puerto Rico keeper and found an empty net. The Cardinals went to halftime trailing 3-1 and came out with a more spirited attack in the second half.
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Ball State spent much of the final 45 minutes in the attacking third but could not find any more goals. Kambol had a shot hit the crossbar, and the Puerto Rico keeper saved an Amanda Shaw attempt in a one-on-one situation.
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For the half, Ball State had more shots and more corner kick opportunities.
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"We needed to raise our game to their level, and I think we did in the second half," Roberts said. "We had a much stronger performance in the second half than we had in the first, but we didn't capitalize on the chances we created. We needed to be physically stronger and quicker, and it took too much time for us to realize that."
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Puerto Rico added a pair of late goals from Micaela Castain and Maria Luisa Colon to stretch the final margin to 5-1.
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Saturday's game marked the end of Ball State's spring schedule. The back-to-back MAC regular season champions will look to begin another championship run this fall.
Players Mentioned
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