Field Hockey Loses Hard Fought Battle At Bellarmine

MUNCIE, Ind. - No matter the season, a team's first road trip will always be a test, and unfortunately for the Cardinals Sunday at Bellarmine, they were unable to pass it.

Ball State entered today's contest fresh off a stellar defensive performance against nationally-ranked Ohio State Friday afternoon in Muncie.

The Cardinals brought that same energy to the field today but unfortunately suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Bellarmine in the final 15 minutes of action at Trager Stadium.

"Hats off to Bellarmine as they brought great intensity to the start of today's game and finished it with an incredible defensive effort," Ball State head coach Stephanie Bernthal said. "We were able to make some adjustments in the second half and had double Bellarmine's offensive numbers, but we just didn't find the net today. I give great credit to their goalkeeping, it was truly impressive, and while I'm proud of the team's offensive output, we know we need to refine that finishing area of our game after this weekend. There's so much within this team and I know we are just getting started. We are young and maturing fast, and disappointment can be one of the best wake-up calls for tough competitors. I have all the confidence in the world that these early knocks will push our squad to find a new level. There's a grit in them that is special and a level of talent through the whole lineup that is our best yet in my time at Ball State. Time to get back to work in Muncie."

The Cardinals (0-2) were looking for their first win of the season against the Knights (1-0). Although Bellarmine officially joined the Mid-American Conference this season, today's game did not count toward either team's conference record. The first league meeting will take place at Briner Sports complex on Oct. 15 at 1 p.m. ET.

Bellarmine struck first in the opening minutes of the game and would hold onto its 1-0 lead over Ball State at intermission.

The Cardinals continued to struggle offensively despite drawing a game-high 12 corners to the Knights' six while also having a team high 16 shots.

Although Ball State did indeed control the tempo of the field today, regrettably the Cardinals were only able to convert on one of those scoring opportunities after Maya Guinn found the back of the cage for her first career goal late in the third period to knot the game, 1-1.

Both teams ramped up their defenses in the final 15 minutes of action. Bellarmine managed to score off a corner with 12 minutes remaining to take the 2-1 edge over Ball State.

After that, Ball State worked the baseline and executed well offensively. The Cardinals would come close to scoring on a few occasions but sadly couldn't capitalize on those opportunities the remainder of the contest.

Offensively, Paloma Gomez Rengifo led the Cardinals with four shots, including two shots on goal. On defense, goalie Hannah Johnston ended the day with five saves.

The Ball State field hockey team continues its three-game road swing when the Cardinals play two games in Pennsylvania at Lock Haven University (Sept. 3) at 3 p.m. ET and then at Saint Francis University (Sept. 5) at noon.

Field Hockey Loses Hard Fought Battle At Bellarmine

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Team Stats

Maya Guinn

Agostina Giudice

Paloma Gomez Rengifo

Emma Hilton

Players Mentioned

Paloma Gomez Rengifo

Maya Guinn

Hannah Johnston

Players Mentioned

Paloma Gomez Rengifo

Maya Guinn

Hannah Johnston