Soccer Set to Battle No. 23 Xavier Thursday Night

Match 5: Thursday, Sept. 9 (6 p.m.)
Ball State (2-2-0) at No. 23 Xavier (5-0-0)
Cincinnati, Ohio (Corcoran Field)
Live Video: FloSports TV | Live Stats

MUNCIE, Ind. - - For the second straight Thursday, the Ball State soccer program will play a Thursday night match in Cincinnati, Ohio, this time traveling to take on No. 23 Xavier in a 6 p.m. contest at Corcoran Field.

The Cardinals (2-2-0) enter the matchup fresh off a 3-1 victory over in-state rival Purdue Fort Wayne in its home opener last Sunday at the Briner Sports Complex.

Ball State dominated the showdown versus the Mastodons, generating consistent pressure throughout the match. The Cardinals out-shot the guests from up I-69 by a 28-to-5 margin, and if you throw in the final 30' in last Thursday's narrow defeat at Cincinnati, BSU has out-shot opponents 34-to-7 over the last 120' of play.

The Cardinals have also out-scored opponents 4-1 during that span with goals from:
Kennedy Metzger - 87' at Cincinnati
Avery Fenchel - 48' vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Chelcy Ralph - 59' vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Nicky Potts - 80' vs. Purdue Fort Wayne - Penalty Kick

In order to pick up its second consecutive win, Ball State will need to continue to apply consistent pressure against a 5-0 Xavier squad which enters the match ranked 23rd in the latest United Soccer Coaches National Poll. The Musketeers also rank first in the latest USC East Region rankings.

In its last match, Xavier earned a 2-1 victory at Illinois. XU also owns wins over Saint Louis (1-0), Northwestern (2-1), Cincinnati (1-0) and Murray State (2-1). Six different players have scored goals for Xavier this season, led by two apiece from Chloe Netzel and Mathilde Rasmussen.

Ball State has scored just as many goals (8) as Xavier so far this season, with six goal scorers as well. Potts and Ralph lead the Cardinals with two goals each.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW:
1. Thursday's match will mark the eighth meeting all-time between Ball State and Xavier with the Cardinals holding a 3-2-2 edge in the series … The teams last played on Sept. 25, 2017 at Xavier, with the hosts earning a 1-0 victory … The squads played to a 1-1 (2 OT) tie on Sept. 26, 2016, while Ball State's last win was a 2-1 victory Sept. 26, 2012 in Muncie.

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 four programs in the country to score three penalty kicks goals this season, joined by Duke, Towson and Villanova … Overall, Ball State's offense ranks 81st out of 336 NCAA Division I programs with a 2.00 goals-per-game average, while its 8.25 shots on goal per game are first in the MAC and 53rd 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 70 total goals … The next best team in the MAC during the span is Bowling Green at 81, 11 more goals than BSU … The third-best defense, Buffalo at 88 goals.

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Players Mentioned

Grace Alsop

Melissa Diceman

Jenna Dombrowski

Avery Fenchel

Tatiana Mason

Kennedy Metzger

Nicky Potts

Chelcy Ralph