Soccer Returns Home Sunday to Take on Butler

Match 6: Sunday, Sept. 12 (1 p.m.)
Ball State (2-3-0) hosts Butler (5-1-0)
Muncie, Ind. (Briner Sports Complex)
Audio: SL Digital Radio | Live Stats

MUNCIE, Ind. - - In its final test before the start of Mid-American Conference play, the Ball State soccer team welcomes Butler to the Briner Sports Complex Sunday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

It will be the fourth in-state opponent the Cardinals (2-3-0) have faced this season, with the latest being a 3-1 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne in last Sunday's (Sept. 5) home opener.

Ball State began the season with a 3-1 win at Valparaiso (Aug. 22), before suffering a 5-1 setback at Purdue (Aug. 29). The Cardinals out-of-state matchups were tough one-goal losses at Cincinnati (Sept. 2) and at No. 23 Xavier (Sept. 9) in its last time on the pitch.

With last Sunday's home win over the Mastodons, Ball State improved to 14-2-1 at the Briner Sports Complex under head coach Josh Rife. In fact, the Cardinals are 5-0-1 in their last six home matches.

Butler enters Sunday's showdown with a 5-1-0 record, having won its last five matches. The last time out, the Bulldogs scored a 3-1 win at Wright State this past Thursday.

After suffering a 5-0 loss to Michigan (Aug. 19) to open the season, Butler has scored a 3-1 win against Northwestern (Aug. 26), a 3-1 victory at Illinois (Aug. 29), a 1-0 triumph versus IUPUI (Sept 2), a 2-1 win over Utah (Sept. 5) and Thursday's victory at Wright State.

The Bulldogs enter Sunday's showdown averaging 2.00 goal per game, led by Katie Soderstorm's four tallies. Abigall Isger is not far behind with three goals, while three other student-athletes have scored goals for Butler.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW:
1. Sunday's match will mark the eighth meeting all-time between Ball State and Butler, with the Cardinals trailing 3-4-0 in the all-time series … The team's last played on Sept. 16, 2012 with the Bulldogs scoring a 2-1 victory in Muncie … BSU's last win was also a 2-1 victory in Indianapolis on Sept. 14, 2006 … Overall, six of the seven previous meetings have been decided by just one goal, with four of the matches ending in 2-1 scores.
All-Time vs. Butler:
8/30/2002 - L, 1-2 - Home
8/29/2003 - L, 0-1 - Away
9/2/2004 - W, 2-0 - Away
8/28/2005 - W, 3-2 - Home
9/14/2006 - W, 2-1 - Away
9/2/2007 - L, 1-2 - Home
9/16/2012 - L, 1-2 - Home

2. Of Ball State's eight goals this season, three have come via the penalty kick … Ball State's two penalty kick goals at Valparaiso (Aug. 22) are indeed a rare feat and mark the first time Ball State has scored on two penalty kicks in the same match going as far back as the 2003 season … Prior to the three penalty kick goals this season, the Cardinals only had one penalty kick goal in the last two years combined … The program record for penalty kick goals in a season is five by the 2007 squad.

3. Ball State is one of only six programs in the country to score at least three penalty kick goals this season … Princeton leads all NCAA Division I programs with four, while BSU is joined by Duke, Florida State, Towson, and Villanova at three … Overall, Ball State's offense ranks 126th out of 336 NCAA Division I programs with a 1.60 goals-per-game average, while its 6.80 shots on goal per game are second in the MAC and 104th nationally.

4. With her second goal of the season in last Sunday's win over Purdue Fort Wayne, fifth-year senior Nicky Potts moved into a tie with senior Tatiana Mason as Ball State's active career goals leader at 12 … The 12 goals for each are tied as the 10th-most goals by a player in program history … Potts also moved into a tie for 12th in program history with 31 career points … Mason is tied for sixth on that list with 37 career points.
Ball State's Top 5 Active Career Scorers:
1. Tatiana Mason - 37 Points / 12 Goals (7 match-winners) / 13 Assists
2. Nicky Potts - 31 Points / 12 Goals (5 match-winners) / 7 Assists
3. Jenna Dombrowski - 12 Points / 5 Goals (2 match-winners) / 2 Assists
4. Melissa Diceman - 11 points / 4 Goals (2 match-winners) / 3 Assists
5. Grace Alsop - 10 points / 4 Goals (1 game-winner) / 2 Assists

5. Over the last five years, no defense in the Mid-American Conference has been better than Ball State's … Since the 2017 season, the Cardinals have surrendered just 71 total goals … The next best team in the MAC during the span is Bowling Green at 86, 15 more goals than BSU has allowed … The third-best defense is Buffalo at 88 goals.

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Players Mentioned

Grace Alsop

Melissa Diceman

Jenna Dombrowski

Tatiana Mason

Nicky Potts

Ball State University Athletics