Soccer Welcomes Western Illinois for Senior Night

Game 8
Ball State vs. Western Illinois
Friday, Sept. 15 (5 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Briner Sports Complex)
Live Stats | Listen Live (WCRD)

The Ball State soccer team will wrap up the non-conference portion of its schedule with Friday's matchup against Western Illinois.

The Cardinals return home for the first time in nearly three weeks, looking to build some momentum heading into next weekend's MAC-opening road trip. BSU (1-5-1) is coming off a 1-0 setback at IUPUI, a game in which they controlled the action but could not find the back of the net.

Western Illinois (0-6-0) competed twice last weekend, falling 1-0 at Kentucky at 2-1 at Eastern Illinois. The Leathernecks will be playing their sixth consecutive road game when they visit Muncie.

Several years ago, Ball State started the tradition of holding its Senior Night festivities as part of the final home game before MAC play. Prior to Friday's contest, the Cardinals will recognize a 2017 senior class that has helped the program to three seasons of double-digit wins and a pair of league championships.

Head coach Craig Roberts recently spoke at length about the Cardinals' seniors and what they have meant to the program. Here is what he had to say about each of them individually …

Allison Abbe – Plainfield, Indiana
(transferred to BSU for her final two seasons; owns a pair of goals and an assist in her BSU career)
"Allison brought a lot of experience as a transfer in terms of playing for a different team and in a different environment. When she joined our program, I think she really rediscovered her love for the game because of the positive interactions she shared with her teammates here. She has been a terrific resource for our newcomers and is able to express to them that what we have here at Ball State is pretty special. Allison continues to serve the team in a variety of ways. Her conduct is impeccable, and her academic standards are impeccable."

Shannon Greeley – Mequon, Wisconsin
(four-year member of the BSU soccer program; owns three career assists)
"Shannon has been instrumental to our program. Without individuals like Shannon working from day to day, really competing hard and pushing each other, you wouldn't be able to win championships. Shannon has been called upon on numerous occasions, and she's raised the level of her game each time. She is someone who has always been uplifting to her teammates. She conducts herself in an exemplary way and makes sure she represents the standards we work to uphold at Ball State."

Alyssa Heintschel – Oregon, Ohio
(2016 Academic All-American; two-time All-MAC First Team selection)
"Alyssa is a true leader. She's a person who uses her intellect to serve in the best way possible. She always thinks about what she's going to say or what she's going to do before she acts. Alyssa really represents the team exceptionally well in regards to academics. At the same time, she's always one of the first to assist other people on the team. My biggest concern with her sometimes is that she spreads herself too thin, but she handles it. The fact that she's going into pre-med and at the same time performing at a high level, she's definitely unique."

Aly Kohanowski – Muskego, Wisconsin
(four-year member of the BSU soccer program; injuries have forced her to miss the past two)
"Last season before she had the injury, Aly was playing some of the best soccer I've seen her play, and everyone was truly excited about seeing her return to the field. Sometimes life throws different challenges at us. She's going to overcome it because of the type of person she is. She's a very strong-minded person with a lot of enthusiasm. Off the field, she's always one of the first to help with anything, and she's an inspiration to others."

Sam Mattlin – Guilford, Indiana
(returned to the field in 2017 after two knee injuries; has started every game on the back line this year)
"Sam is a quality individual who has faced adversity during her collegiate career. Being so young and being able to handle that kind of adversity just shows you what kind of maturity she has. At the same time, during the period when she wasn't participating due to her injuries, she was immensely focused on making sure she served the team off the field. She was always there inspiring her teammates. Sam's leadership and focus are tremendous."

Tristin Stuteville – Kansas City, Missouri
(transferred to BSU for her final two seasons; has shared time in goal, making nine starts)
"Tristin has been here for a shorter period of time but has impacted the team tremendously. The team comes first for Tristin, and she is always putting herself second. The girls really take a liking to Tristin because of her conduct and the standards she has. She faced the challenge of coming in and competing with an established goalkeeper like Alyssa, but it has not intimidated her. She has risen to the occasion, and it shows you what kind of character she has."

Lucy Walton – Perrysburg, Ohio
(four-year letterwinner; leads all active BSU players with 61 career games played)
"Lucy doesn't always receive a lot of notoriety, but she is an integral member of our team. She's part of the foundation of this program. Without her, perhaps we wouldn't have had the success we've had. She's an essential cog in the mechanism that makes our team work. Lucy is going to be a teacher, and she continues to strive for high levels in the classroom. She does a very good job at teaching our younger players. It makes my job as a coach easier when you have someone like Lucy who is very talented at communicating with other people and driving them to raise the standard."

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Players Mentioned

Allison Abbe

Shannon Greeley

Alyssa Heintschel

Aly Kohanowski

Sam Mattlin

Tristin Stuteville

Lucy Walton