Thursday, October 28
Muncie, Ind.
3 p.m.
Ball State University
6-9-2, 4-5-2
2
vs
0
Miami (OH)
8-8-3, 5-6-0
1
2
F
Miami (OH)
0
0
0
Ball St.
0
2
2
Photo by: Joe Gilbert
Cardinals End Season on High Note
October 28, 2021 | Soccer
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State soccer team returned to the friendly confines of the Briner Sports Complex for the 2021 season finale against Miami on Thursday. Jenna Dombrowski and Lexi Fraley led the Cardinals to a 2-0 victory over the RedHawks.
Miami came out of gates swinging as it notched a shot on goal in the first minute of the contest, but Alex DeRuvo was up for the challenge and made the stop. In the 10th minute, the RedHawks posted another ball on target, but DeRuvo was able to make the save. DeRuvo added another save at the 18th-minute mark.
Chelcy Ralph recorded Ball State's first shot on frame of the match in the 27th minute but was unable to beat the Miami keeper.
The RedHawks added two more shots on goal in the 32nd and 37th minutes, but like shots before, DeRuvo kept them out of the net.
Ralph helped the Cardinals add some pressure in the 39th minute when she sent a shot on goal, but the Miami goalie came up with a stop. The match was a draw after the first half of play.
Ball State came out strong in the second period and in the 53rd minute Kennedy Metzger ripped a shot on goal. She managed to beat the Miami keeper, but the shot hit the post and stayed out. Metzger controlled the rebound but sent a shot just wide. Melissa Diceman placed a shot to the far post but was stopped by the Miami goalie in the 57th minute. Lexy Smith ripped a shot to the far high post but was unable to beat the RedHawk keeper.
Miami finally put a shot on goal in the second half in the 66th minute, but DeRuvo made a huge save to keep the RedHawks off the board.
In the 71st minute, the Cardinals earned a corner kick. Smith stepped up to take the corner and sent a well-placed ball into the box. Ralph headed the ball directly to the foot of Dombrowski, who drilled a shot into the back of the net.
At the 79th-minute mark, Sammi Corcoran set an outstanding through ball from midfield in the direction of Fraley. Fraley outran her defender and gained control in the box. Fraley blasted a shot past the Miami goalie and into the back of the net to give BSU a 2-0 advantage.
DeRuvo improved to 6-9-2 in goal for the Cardinals and had six saves for the match. She finished the season with 64 saves. Dombrowski picked up her first goal of the season, while Fraley tallied her fourth. Smith and Corcoran each notched their second assists on the year, while Ralph earned her first assist on the season.
The Cardinals finished the season with an overall record of 6-9-2 and a 4-5-2 mark in the Mid-American Conference. The RedHawks ended the year with an 8-8-3 overall record and a 5-6-0 record in conference play.
From the Coach – Head Coach Josh Rife
"We played really well. In the first 10-15 minutes we were struggling to get a little rhythm, but I thought we started to gain ahold of the game and from that point on I felt like it was going our way. I thought we played great. I think the way we've been playing and the performances we've put together, we expected a few more results like this one."
From the Student-Athlete – Senior Midfielder Jenna Dombrowski
"I'm really proud of the way we played today. We knew the position we were in in the conference and just the way we wanted to end the season. We really ended on a strong note. I'm proud of our performance from start to finish. It felt really good to get one today. It was already a special day with everyone celebrating our careers. It felt really good to get it in the back of the net. Fraley's goal was the cherry on top, it was such a great goal."
From the Student-Athlete – Freshman Forward Lexi Fraley
"I think we did a good job. It was a special day, and it was meaningful. There are a lot of people that aren't going to play soccer again and we wanted to end it on a high note. Obviously, we didn't have a chance to make it to the tournament and we just wanted to end it well. I'm honestly just happy we ended with a win. We had a tough season for results, so that was a good way to end it."
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Miami came out of gates swinging as it notched a shot on goal in the first minute of the contest, but Alex DeRuvo was up for the challenge and made the stop. In the 10th minute, the RedHawks posted another ball on target, but DeRuvo was able to make the save. DeRuvo added another save at the 18th-minute mark.
Chelcy Ralph recorded Ball State's first shot on frame of the match in the 27th minute but was unable to beat the Miami keeper.
The RedHawks added two more shots on goal in the 32nd and 37th minutes, but like shots before, DeRuvo kept them out of the net.
Ralph helped the Cardinals add some pressure in the 39th minute when she sent a shot on goal, but the Miami goalie came up with a stop. The match was a draw after the first half of play.
Ball State came out strong in the second period and in the 53rd minute Kennedy Metzger ripped a shot on goal. She managed to beat the Miami keeper, but the shot hit the post and stayed out. Metzger controlled the rebound but sent a shot just wide. Melissa Diceman placed a shot to the far post but was stopped by the Miami goalie in the 57th minute. Lexy Smith ripped a shot to the far high post but was unable to beat the RedHawk keeper.
Miami finally put a shot on goal in the second half in the 66th minute, but DeRuvo made a huge save to keep the RedHawks off the board.
In the 71st minute, the Cardinals earned a corner kick. Smith stepped up to take the corner and sent a well-placed ball into the box. Ralph headed the ball directly to the foot of Dombrowski, who drilled a shot into the back of the net.
At the 79th-minute mark, Sammi Corcoran set an outstanding through ball from midfield in the direction of Fraley. Fraley outran her defender and gained control in the box. Fraley blasted a shot past the Miami goalie and into the back of the net to give BSU a 2-0 advantage.
DeRuvo improved to 6-9-2 in goal for the Cardinals and had six saves for the match. She finished the season with 64 saves. Dombrowski picked up her first goal of the season, while Fraley tallied her fourth. Smith and Corcoran each notched their second assists on the year, while Ralph earned her first assist on the season.
The Cardinals finished the season with an overall record of 6-9-2 and a 4-5-2 mark in the Mid-American Conference. The RedHawks ended the year with an 8-8-3 overall record and a 5-6-0 record in conference play.
From the Coach – Head Coach Josh Rife
"We played really well. In the first 10-15 minutes we were struggling to get a little rhythm, but I thought we started to gain ahold of the game and from that point on I felt like it was going our way. I thought we played great. I think the way we've been playing and the performances we've put together, we expected a few more results like this one."
From the Student-Athlete – Senior Midfielder Jenna Dombrowski
"I'm really proud of the way we played today. We knew the position we were in in the conference and just the way we wanted to end the season. We really ended on a strong note. I'm proud of our performance from start to finish. It felt really good to get one today. It was already a special day with everyone celebrating our careers. It felt really good to get it in the back of the net. Fraley's goal was the cherry on top, it was such a great goal."
From the Student-Athlete – Freshman Forward Lexi Fraley
"I think we did a good job. It was a special day, and it was meaningful. There are a lot of people that aren't going to play soccer again and we wanted to end it on a high note. Obviously, we didn't have a chance to make it to the tournament and we just wanted to end it well. I'm honestly just happy we ended with a win. We had a tough season for results, so that was a good way to end it."
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Team Stats
MU
BSU
Goals
0
2
Shots
10
13
Shots on Goal
6
6
Saves
4
6
Corners
4
5
Fouls
10
10
Scoring Plays
Jenna Dombrowski (1)
Assisted By: Chelcy Ralph , Lexy Smith
GOAL by BSU Dombrowski, Jenna Assist by Ralph, Chelcy and Smith, Lexy.
71:36
Lexi Fraley (4)
Assisted By: Sammi Corcoran
GOAL by BSU Fraley, Lexi Assist by Corcoran, Sammi.
79:18
Game Leaders
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
def
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
M/D
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
M/F
/ SoccerM/D
/ SoccerF
/ Soccer
D
/ SoccerM
/ SoccerD
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