Soccer Opens Season Sunday at Valparaiso

Game 1 | Sunday, Aug. 22 (2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT)
Ball State (0-0-0) at Valparaiso (0-1-0)
Valparaiso, Ind. (Brown Field)
Live Stats

MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State soccer team officially opens the 2021 fall season Sunday, when it travels to Valparaiso for a 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT matchup at Brown Field.

It will mark the first non-conference regular season match for the Cardinals since Sept. 20, 2019, as the team played a league-only schedule this past spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think they are a focused group, I think they are hungry, I think they are a group with high expectations for themselves."

??:: @BSUCoachRife on the level of commitment of the 2021 @BallStateSoccer program. @BallStateSports | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/cB43i5fRIn
— #MACtion (@MACSports) August 18, 2021

Ball State was able to thrive on the pitch despite the pandemic, however, winning the MAC West Division crown and earning its second berth in the past three seasons into the MAC Championship match.

One of the league's perennially powers, finishing first or second in the league in each of the past six season, the Cardinals return 21 of 23 players who saw match action last season.

The returners combined for 98 of a possible 110 starts last season, helping the squad finish the year with a 6-3-1 overall record, including wins in five of its last six regular season outings.

BRINGING BACK SOME BIG EXPERIENCE:
Ball State returns seven of the eight players who started all 10 matches last season, including leading scorer Tatiana Mason. Mason tallied four goals and picked up a pair of assists in the shortened 2020-21 campaign, moving into a tie for 10th in program history with 12 career goals and into seventh with 36 career points (12 goals / 12 assists).

Other 10-match starters returning include: Melissa Diceman (3 goals), Nicky Potts (1 goal / four assists), Jenna Dombrowski (2 goals), Shelby Kean (1 goal / 2 assists), Lexy Smith (3 assists) and Sammi Corcoran. Smith led the field players with 942 minutes of action last season, while Corcoran was a close second at 923.

NEW IN NET:
One area the Cardinals will turn to a fresh face in 2021 is at goalkeeper. Maitane Bravo played all 10 matches and saw 937:22 of action in goal for Ball State last season. She tied for the MAC lead with four shutouts, while ranking third in the league with a .864 goals against average.

In last Saturday's exhibition at Louisville, senior Alex DeRuvo earned the starting nod and held solid against a tough opponent, notching six saves over 74:04 of action. Prior to last weekend, DeRuvo had only made three career appearances for Ball State for 140:25 of match time. She made her first career start in BSU's last non-conference regular season game against Purdue Fort Wayne on Sept. 20, 2019, collecting a pair of saves to earn her first career shutout in a 4-0 victory.

Freshman keeper Abby Jenkins also saw 15:51 of time in last weekend's exhibition at Louisville, making three saves.

ALL-MAC; ALL-BACK:
BSU returns all four players who earned All-MAC honors last season in first team selections Nicky Potts and Lexy Smith, second team honoree Tatiana Mason, and all-freshman choice Mac Henson. In addition, head coach Josh Rife is the reigning MAC Coach of the Year.

The Cardinals also had a program record four players named to the United State Coaches Association Division I Women's All-Midwest Region teams, with all four returning. Those selections include Potts, Mason, and Smith on the second team, along with Emily Simmons on the third team.

SERIES VERSUS VALPARAISO
The newly rebranded Beacons hold a 4-1 lead in the all-time series which has not seen a match between the two in-state rivals since a 3-2 Valpo win on Sept, 3, 2009.

This will be the second time Ball State has opened a season at Valparaiso, as the Cardinals kicked off the 2008 campaign with a 1-0 setback at Brown Field. Ball State's lone win in the series was a 5-0 victory Sept. 23, 2001 in Muncie.

A SOLID DEFENSE:
Ball State's defense has been the stingiest in the MAC under head coach Josh Rife, surrendering a league-low 26 goals over the past two seasons. Buffalo is second on the list with 27 goals allowed, followed by Bowling Green at 29.

Players Mentioned

Maitane Bravo

Sammi Corcoran

Alex DeRuvo

Melissa Diceman

Jenna Dombrowski

Mac Henson

Abby Jenkins

Shelby Kean

Tatiana Mason

Nicky Potts

Emily Simmons

Lexy Smith

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