Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Buffalo
Soccer Hosts Kent State Thursday, Visits Buffalo Sunday
October 04, 2023 | Soccer
| Soccer (4-5-2; 2-0-2 MAC) hosts Kent State | at Buffalo | |
| Match 12 - hosts Kent State          (6-3-2; 3-1-0 MAC) |
Thursday, Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. ET Live Video (Weather Dependent)Â | SL Digital Radio |Â Live Stats |
| Match 13 - at Buffalo          (5-2-4; 2-1-1 MAC) |
Sunday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. ET YouTube |Â Live Stats |
| Social Media | X (Twitter)Â | Instagram |
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State soccer team returns to the Briner Sports Complex Thursday for a 4 p.m. Mid-American Conference showdown with Kent State. The Cardinals then close the week Sunday at Buffalo for a 1 p.m. kick off.
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Ball State maintains a 12-11-3 lead in the all-time series versus Kent State after the teams battled to a 0-0 draw last season in Kent, Ohio. The Cardinals hold an 8-2-2 advantage at home versus the Golden Flashes with four straight wins at the Briner Sports Complex.
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Ball State owns a 14-9-3 edge in the all-time series versus Buffalo despite suffering a 2-0 road setback to the Bulls in the 2022 MAC Championship match played Nov. 6. That followed a 2-2 draw in the 2022 regular season meeting played in Muncie on Oct. 23. Buffalo holds an 8-5-1 edge in matches played on its home pitch, with BSU's last road win in the series coming by a score of 3-2 in double overtime on Oct. 6, 2019.
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SEASON TO DATE:Â
Ball State enters the week with a 4-5-2 (2-0-2 MAC) record after picking up a 2-1 home win over Toledo last Thursday, while battling to a 2-2 draw at Western Michigan last Sunday.
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The Cardinals opened the year with a 5-1 win over Mercyhurst (Aug. 17), before facing a gauntlet which included losses at No. 3 Notre Dame (Aug. 20), at Texas Tech (Aug. 24), at Loyola (Sept. 3) and at Vanderbilt (Sept. 7). After a 3-0 home win over Austin Peay (Sept. 10), the Cardinals faced another tough opponent in Butler (Sept. 14) on the road.
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Ball State opening league play with a 3-1 home victory over Miami (Sept. 21), while battling Eastern Michigan (Sept. 24)Â Â to a 1-1 draw on the road.
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BALL STATE SOCCER QUICK HITS:Â
- Ball State has made the most of its four home matches this season, owning a perfect 4-0-0 record at the Briner Sports Complex … In fact, the Cardinals are out-scoring opponents 13-3 on its home pitch … Ball State's 13 goals at home are more than six league teams have scored all season and ties Thursday's opponent Kent State.
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- Tack on five road goals and the Cardinals enter the week ranked second in the MAC with 18 total goals, trailing only Western Michigan's 19 … Ball State has netted at least one goal in eight of its 11 matches, with its five goals in the win over Mercyhurst (Aug. 17) being the most scored by a MAC team in a match this season.
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- Senior forward Avery Fenchel enters Thursday's match versus Kent State leading the team and tied for second in the MAC in goals scored (6), while ranking third in the league in points (13) this season … She started the year with her first career hat trick in the season-opener versus Mercyhurst (Aug. 17) and added her first career assist at Loyola (Sept. 3). Fenchel has gone on to collect the final goal in the win over Austin Peay (Sept. 10), open the scoring with her goal versus Miami (Sept. 21) and net the match-winning goal versus Toledo (Sept. 28).Â
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- With her six goals this season, Avery Fenchel has moved into a tied for fifth in program history with 19 career goals … She registered the second-most goals in a single season in the BSU record book last season, with 11, and scored two her sophomore campaign … Fenchel is currently seventh in program history with 39 career points (19 goals / 1 assist).
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- Sophomore forward Emily Roper is currently tied for eighth in the MAC with three goals after tallying her first career brace in the team's win over Austin Peay (Sept. 10) … Roper, who scored her first goal of the season against Mercyhurst (Aug. 17), is also tied for eighth in the MAC with 11 shots on goal.
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- Junior forward Lexi Fraley picked up her third tally of the season to help Ball State earn a 2-2 draw at Western Michigan last Sunday … Fraley, who ranks second among active Ball State players with 12 career goals, scored her first goal of the season at Loyola (Sept. 3) and added another in the 1-1 draw at Eastern Michigan (Sept. 24) … Fraley has also dished out a pair of assists on the season and ranks first in the MAC in shots (38) and is tied for second in shots on goal (16),
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- Overall, seven different players have scored at least one goal for the Cardinals this season, including sophomore forward Delaney Caldwell and junior forward Kaitlyn Fraser with two goals apiece … Caldwell has scored nine goals over her Ball State career, while Fraser's goals are the first two of her career … In addition, senior defender Ryann Locante (vs. Mercyhurst on Aug. 17) and freshman forward Annika Klauss (vs. Miami on Sept. 21) have each scored their first career goals this season.
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- Ball State's student-athletes have dished out a total of 12 assists so far this season, including two each from sophomore midfielder Tori Monaco, junior defender Maya Millis, Delaney Caldwell, Lexi Fraley and Emily Roper … Avery Fenchel and graduate defender Maya Turner each have one helper on the year.
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- Goalkeeper Bethany Moser was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 12 after leading the league in goals against average (0.56) and save percentage (.875) for the previous week … She allowed just one goal over 160:49, with it being an 88th-minute tally by Vanderbilt (Sept. 7) … Moser also combined for the shutout win over Austin Peay (Sept. 10), playing the first 70:19 of the match and stopping all three shots she faced.
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- For the season, Bethany Moser ranks seventh in the MAC with 4.09 saves per match, having collected 45 total saves on the year, the fourth-most among MAC goalkeepers … The effort also ranks 115th nationally, while her 45 total saves are 105th.Â
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SCOUTING KENT STATE:Â
The Golden Flashes are currently 6-3-2 (3-1-0 MAC) after earning a 2-1 home win over Eastern Michigan last Thursday and suffering a 1-0 setback at Miami last Sunday.
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Kent State ranks sixth in the MAC with 13 goals on the season, while its 13 goals allowed are tied as the fifth fewest. Seven different players have scored at least one goal for KSU, led by three each from Alisa Arthur and Josie Morgan. Callie Cunningham has a team-high four assists.
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Goalkeeper Sarah Melén has recorded 46 saves over her 11 appearances in goal and owns a 1.03 goals against average, along with a 6-3-2 record. She has played 965:50 of the team's 990:00 in the net, boasting a 0.807 save percentage.
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SCOUTING BUFFALO:
The Bulls enter a Thursday showdown at Central Michigan with an 5-2-4 (2-1-1 MAC) record after picking up a 2-0 home win over Miami last Thursday and battling to a 3-3 tie at Eastern Michigan last Sunday.
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Buffalo ranks fourth in the MAC with 15 goals scored this season, while allowing a league-low nine goals. Katie Krohn leads the league, ranks first in the MAC and is tied for 12th nationally with her 10 goals. Chip in a pair of assists and Krohn is 15th nationally with 22 total points.
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Rebecca Winslow is currently holding down the net for Buffalo, playing all 90 minutes in UB's last three MAC matches after entering for the final 17:36 in the team's league-opener versus Akron. Over 377:36 of play, Winslow has a 0.95 goals against average and has stopped 11 of the 15 shots she has faced. Lexie Thompson has seven starts on the year, making 16 saves and boasting a 0.73 goals against average over 612:24.
