Ball State University
Eastern Kentucky
Ball State Gears up for Pair of Weekend Matches in Kentucky
August 23, 2018 | Soccer
MUNCIE, Ind. – After fighting through terrible weather conditions to win the season opener at Purdue Fort Wayne, the Ball State University soccer team will travel to Eastern Kentucky on Friday, Aug. 24, and Morehead State on Sunday, Aug. 26, as it continues non-conference play.
GAME INFO
Game 2
Ball State at Eastern Kentucky
Friday, Aug. 24 (4 p.m.)
Richmond, KY. (EKU Soccer Complex)
Game 3
Ball State at Morehead State
Sunday, Aug 26 (2 p.m.)
Morehead, KY. (Jayne Stadium)
ABOUT EASTERN KENTUCKY
The Colonels tuned up for the season with a pair of exhibition matches against Miami (OH) and Xavier. Eastern Kentucky fell by a score of 0-1 in both of those matches. In the regular-season opener, the Colonels got on the scoreboard but eventually fell to Cincinnati on the road. EKU quickly rebounded though with a win at East Tennessee State. After falling behind early in the match, Eastern Kentucky scored three unanswered goals to take home a 3-1 win. The matchup with Ball State will serve as EKU's home opener.
SERIES HISTORY
Ball State and Eastern Kentucky have met up just one time on the pitch. The Cardinals took EKU down in August of 2016 in Muncie.
08/19/2016 vs Eastern Kentucky W 3-1 Muncie, Ind.
ABOUT MOREHEAD STATE
The Eagles prepared for the 2018 campaign with a pair of exhibitions against Marshall and Louisville. Morehead State defeated Marshall with ease in a 5-0 victory but fell to Louisville 0-4. MSU opened the season with a road trip to Akron where is secured a 2-1 victory. The Eagles then traveled to Pittsburgh and played a tough match, but eventually fell to the Panthers, 0-1, in double overtime. Morehead State will visit Kentucky on Thursday (Aug. 23) before facing Ball State.
SERIES HISTORY
The Cardinals and Eagles have had three previous encounters with Ball State holding a 2-0-1 edge in the series. The last meeting took place in Muncie in September of 2016
08/31/2014 vs Morehead State T 2-2 Muncie, Ind.
09/20/2015 at Morehead State W 3-1 Morehead, KY.
06/16/2016 vs Morehead State W 4-0 Muncie, Ind.
MAC PRESEASON POLL
The cardinals were picked by the MAC coaches to finish second in the league this season. BSU received one first-place vote and the second-most points to land them behind Kent State, which received eight first-place votes. Ball State also received one vote to win the tournament championship at the end of the season. Kent State was also selected to win that competition.
2018 MAC Preseason Poll
1. Kent State – 134 (8)
2. Ball State – 119 (1)
3. Bowling Green – 114 (2)
4. Buffalo - 111
5. Central Michigan - 81
6. Toledo - 74
7. Eastern Michigan - 70
8. Ohio - 65
9. Western Michigan - 58
T10. Akron – 40 (1)
T10. Northern Illinois - 40
12. Miami – 30
Tournament Champion: Kent State (6)
Buffalo (1), Ball State (1), Bowling Green (1), Central Michigan (1), Toledo (1) Western Michigan (1)
(first place votes)
SEASON OPENER AT PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Ball State survived a lightning delay that lasted over an hour as well as pouring rain all night, and took down Purdue Fort Wayne, 2-1, in the season opener at Hefner Soccer Complex. BSU tallied 20 shots on the night, 10 of which were on goal. The Cardinals got their scoring from fifth-year senior Allison Abbe and true freshman Tatiana Mason. Tristin Stuteville was solid in goal, saving two of the three shots she faced.
EXHIBITION WITH EASTERN ILLINOIS
Ball State prepared for the season with an exhibition on Friday, Aug. 10, against Eastern Illinois. The match featured three 30-minute periods and saw the Cardinals come out on top. BSU earned a corner kick in the 75th minute and senior captain Lauren Roll found the back of the net for the lone goal of the match. Tristin Stuteville was solid in goal for Ball State, making several saves to preserve the shutout. The fifth-year senior will look to anchor the Cardinal defense this season after splitting time at the position a year ago.
QUOTES
Coach Craig Roberts on expectations for the season… "The team is equally ambitious as it has been in previous seasons. We're ambitious again and eager to put our best foot forward to compete within the MAC. Obviously, the desire is to go on to the NCAA's but the main thing for us is just to keep that enthusiasm about being ambitious and we'll see where everything ends up."
Coach Roberts on the season opener… "The weather conditions really impacted the game and turned it into a scrap and a fight, but I felt we rose to the occasion. The players responded well and fought hard through adversity to get a win. Hats off to PFW and their fight, but I was proud of our girls for finding a way to get a victory."
Coach Roberts on Ball State's 1-0 exhibition win over Eastern Illinois… "I felt that we learned a lot from the game in regard to what we need to address and what we need to do. Our mentality was good overall, we just needed to come out stronger from the start. Everybody contributed and did really well as far as their efforts and doing what we asked them to do. I felt we dominated the game throughout, we just need to find a way to convert more goals so we aren't just winning one to zero."
