The women's soccer team will open up the 2002 season this afternoon hosting the Butler Bulldogs. The match is the first official game of the season for both teams.
Ball State is coming off last Saturday's exhibition match in which they defeated Wright State 2-1. Butler also won their only exhibition match of the season, a 3-0 victory over Louisville.
Ball State head coach Ron Rainey said that the match should be a great opener and challenge for both squads, and will start a tough non-conference schedule before Mid-American Conference play begins on Sept. 13.
"Butler is a good, solid team that will attack us," Rainey said. "We need to cut down on our technical mistakes and make sure we keep possession."
If the teams' exhibition matches are any indication of how they will play today, then the game is likely to be a shootout.
Butler out-shot their Louisville counterparts, taking a total of 17 shots in the match. Ball State also out-shot their opponents 15-10 on Saturday.
Butler finished the 2001 season at 13-7 and is returning 16 letter winners from that team.
Among them is Amy Morrison, a senior forward who was selected to the 2001 All-Horizon League first team, and Hadiatu Dumbuya, a senior defender on the first league team.
Butler also boasts one of the Horizon League's top goalkeepers in Amber Stauch, who started 19 matches last season and held a 1.22 goals per game average. Stauch was named to Horizon League's second team.
Stauch, who played the first half but never faced a shot, combined with Katie Sanders for the shutout against Louisville last Saturday. Sanders racked up three saves in the win.
"Right now we just need everybody to step up," said Rainey, "and we'll find out who our go to players are on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball."
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