Soccer Travels To Loyola For Sunday Showdown

MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State soccer team returns to the road Sunday as it travels to Chicago, Illinois, to take on Loyola at the Loyola Soccer Park. Kickoff versus the Ramblers is set for 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Scott Sudikoff (Play-by-Play) and Jenna Ross (Analyst) calling the action.

The Cardinals hold a 3-0 lead in the all-time series versus the Ramblers, most recently earning a 2-1 victory in Muncie on Sept. 1, 2019. Overall, Ball State has out-scored Loyola 10-3 in the all-time series.

SEASON TO DATE:
The Cardinals (1-2-0) came out of the gates strong, opening the year with a 5-1 victory over Mercyhurst (Aug. 17) at the Briner Sports Complex. Three different Ball State student-athletes tallied goals in the win, led by senior forward Avery Fenchel's first career hat trick.

Ball State followed with another solid effort at third-ranked Notre Dame Sunday (Aug. 20), allowing just one goal in the run of play during a 3-0 setback. The Irish, who ranked 12th nationally in scoring offense last season, tallied its other two markers off set pieces on corner kicks.

In its latest outing, Ball State suffered a 4-1 setback at Texas Tech (Aug. 24). The game was tied at the half thanks to a 36' goal from sophomore forward Delaney Caldwell.

BALL STATE SOCCER QUICK HITS:
- Thanks to her hat trick in the season-opener, Avery Fenchel enters the weekend tied as the Mid-American Conference leader with three goals scored … The effort helped her climb to sixth in program history with 16 career goals … In addition to leading the MAC, Fenchel's three goals are tied for 59th nationally.

- Sophomore forward Emily Roper and senior defender Ryann Locante also scored goals in the win over Mercyhurst … It was Locante's first career goal, while Roper raised her career total to four.

- Delaney Caldwell chipped in a goal of her own versus Texas Tech, raising her career total to eight … Caldwell, who scored seven goals as a freshman last season, enters the weekend two goals shy of breaking into the top 10 in program history.

- With assists on each of Fenchel's final two goals, sophomore midfielder Tori Monaco is currently tied for the MAC lead and is tied for 86th nationally with two helpers … Junior defender Maya Millis and Delaney Caldwell also logged an assist each in the win over Mercyhurst and are currently tied for seventh in the league in the category.

- Junior goalkeeper Bethany Moser enters the week tied for fourth in the MAC with 15 total saves … She pitched a shutout over her 60:44 of action in the win over Mercyhurst, making one save … She followed by making eight saves at No. 3 Notre Dame, falling one shy of her career mark, and added six at Texas Tech.

SCOUTING TEXAS TECH:
The Ramblers (2-3-0) are coming off a 1-0 win over Western Illinois on Thursday (Aug. 31). Loyola has also played a pair of MAC teams so far this season, earning a 2-1 win at Toledo (Aug. 25), before suffering a 2-0 setback at Bowling Green (Aug. 27).

Taylor Harrison and Zoe Hevey have two goals apiece for the Ramblers, who are averaging 1.20 goals per game this season. Jaimee Cinulka has handed out two of Loyola's three assists so far this season.

Naya Lipkens has played all 450:00 minutes in goal for Loyola, making 15 total saves on 51 shots faced. She has 2.00 goals against average and a .600 save percentage, allowing 10 goals over the team's five games.

UP NEXT:
After Sunday's contest at Loyola, the Cardinals will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, for an 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT showdown at Vanderbilt on Thursday, Sept. 7.

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Players Mentioned

Delaney Caldwell

Avery Fenchel

Ryann Locante

Maya Millis

Tori Monaco

Bethany Moser

Emily Roper