Sunday, October 15
Muncie, Ind
1 p.m.
Ball State University
7-5-3, 5-0-3
2
vs
2
Ohio
4-6-5, 2-3-3
1
2
F
Ohio
1
1
2
Ball St.
1
1
2
Photo by: Brayden Goins / Ball State Athletics
Soccer Battles To 2-2 Draw With Ohio
October 15, 2023 | Soccer
MUNCIE, Ind. - - On a cold, blustery Sunday afternoon at the Briner Sports Complex, redshirt junior goalkeeper Bethany Moser registered a career-high 12 saves to help the Ball State soccer team secure a 2-2 draw versus Ohio.
Looking to stay alive in the hunt for one of six spots in the 2023 MAC Soccer Championship, the visiting Bobcats (4-6-5; 2-3-3 MAC) pressured the Cardinals (7-5-3; 5-0-3 MAC) early with the match's first seven shots, four of which were on goal and saved by Moser.
"Bethany continues to be steady and continues to be solid for us," head coach Josh Rife said about his goalkeeper. "There were a few shots that were a little more testing, but credit to her as she continues to play well for us."
However, Ball State picked up its pace starting in the 20th minute and went on to score the first goal courtesy of the right foot of senior forward Avery Fenchel who tallied her team-leading 11th goal of the season in the 22nd minute.
Junior forward Lexi Fraley set up the goal at the top of the attacking third by finding sophomore forward Delaney Caldwell streaking down the left sideline. Caldwell, then served the ball into the goal area and Fenchel finished.
Unfortunately, a bit of back luck struck the Cardinals in the 35th minute as an Ohio free kick from midfield found the hand of a Ball State defender in the penalty box to set up a match-tying penalty kick.
The score remained tied until the 58th minute when another beautiful pass, this time from junior defender Alex McPhee on Ball State's side of the center circle, once again found a streaking Caldwell on the left edge of the penalty area. Caldwell then passed it to Fraley in the middle, who struck the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
Fraley's goal was her eight of the season, to go along with her third assist on the opening goal, and gave Ball State a 2-1 edge. Caldwell picked up her second assist of the day, and fourth of the season, while McPhee's helper was her first of the year.
Ohio would battle back, however, scoring the equalizer in the 66th minute. The Bobcats would keep the pressure on the rest of the way, with Moser making six more saves over the final 13 minutes to help BSU secure the draw.
Overall, the team's tallied a combined 39 shots on the day, including 16 from Ball State. Nine of the Cardinals' shots found the net, with Ohio keeper Celeste Sloma making nine saves.
"There's still everything to play for," Rife added. "That was the long talk we had after the match. If we want Thursday to be our last road trip of the season we have to refocus and find another gear as we close out the regular season to ensure that. No one has locked up a position in the conference tournament yet, so we still have work to do. We can't take our foot off the pedal; we can't just be content with where we're at. We must continue to be persistent moving forward."
Ball State will play its final road match of the 2023 regular season Thursday when it travels to Northern Illinois for a 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT kickoff.
Looking to stay alive in the hunt for one of six spots in the 2023 MAC Soccer Championship, the visiting Bobcats (4-6-5; 2-3-3 MAC) pressured the Cardinals (7-5-3; 5-0-3 MAC) early with the match's first seven shots, four of which were on goal and saved by Moser.
"Bethany continues to be steady and continues to be solid for us," head coach Josh Rife said about his goalkeeper. "There were a few shots that were a little more testing, but credit to her as she continues to play well for us."
However, Ball State picked up its pace starting in the 20th minute and went on to score the first goal courtesy of the right foot of senior forward Avery Fenchel who tallied her team-leading 11th goal of the season in the 22nd minute.
Junior forward Lexi Fraley set up the goal at the top of the attacking third by finding sophomore forward Delaney Caldwell streaking down the left sideline. Caldwell, then served the ball into the goal area and Fenchel finished.
Unfortunately, a bit of back luck struck the Cardinals in the 35th minute as an Ohio free kick from midfield found the hand of a Ball State defender in the penalty box to set up a match-tying penalty kick.
The score remained tied until the 58th minute when another beautiful pass, this time from junior defender Alex McPhee on Ball State's side of the center circle, once again found a streaking Caldwell on the left edge of the penalty area. Caldwell then passed it to Fraley in the middle, who struck the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
Fraley's goal was her eight of the season, to go along with her third assist on the opening goal, and gave Ball State a 2-1 edge. Caldwell picked up her second assist of the day, and fourth of the season, while McPhee's helper was her first of the year.
Ohio would battle back, however, scoring the equalizer in the 66th minute. The Bobcats would keep the pressure on the rest of the way, with Moser making six more saves over the final 13 minutes to help BSU secure the draw.
Overall, the team's tallied a combined 39 shots on the day, including 16 from Ball State. Nine of the Cardinals' shots found the net, with Ohio keeper Celeste Sloma making nine saves.
"There's still everything to play for," Rife added. "That was the long talk we had after the match. If we want Thursday to be our last road trip of the season we have to refocus and find another gear as we close out the regular season to ensure that. No one has locked up a position in the conference tournament yet, so we still have work to do. We can't take our foot off the pedal; we can't just be content with where we're at. We must continue to be persistent moving forward."
Ball State will play its final road match of the 2023 regular season Thursday when it travels to Northern Illinois for a 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT kickoff.
Team Stats
OHI
BSU
Goals
2
2
Shots
23
16
Shots on Goal
14
9
Saves
7
12
Corners
3
2
Fouls
4
8
Scoring Plays
Avery Fenchel (11)
Assisted By: Delaney Caldwell , Lexi Fraley
GOAL by BSU Fenchel, Avery Assist by Caldwell, Delaney and Fraley, Lexi.
21:17
Shae Robertson (6)
OHI Shae Robertson PENALTY KICK GOAL.
34:20
Lexi Fraley (8)
Assisted By: Delaney Caldwell , Alex McPhee
GOAL by BSU Fraley, Lexi Assist by Caldwell, Delaney and McPhee, Alex.
57:22
Scout Murray (3)
Assisted By: Carsyn Prigge
GOAL by OHI Murray, Scout Assist by Prigge, Carsyn.
65:55
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
7
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
1
Shots
5
SOG
4
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
2
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
F
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