A year removed from its first Mid-American Conference regular season championship, the Ball State University soccer team enters the 2007 season in a different role.
Instead of a challenger vying for a shot at the title, the Cardinals are now the defending champions. In addition, Monday the MAC coaches predicted Ball State to win the regular season and MAC Tournament.
With that honor comes the distinction of being the benchmark for the rest of the league. Although the team's goals still include defending their title, coach Michelle Salmon said the program doesn't have any extra pressure than it did last season.
"The only pressure that I feel is the pressure that I put on myself," the second-year coach said. "One of the things I looked at with my team is that we set extremely high expectations here at Ball State. ... My goal as a coach is to set those standards so high that [the players] are forced to work your tail off to achieve them. We won a championship and that was last year."
Salmon said the key to a repeat is to enter the season with a championship approach.
"We're not going to get ahead of ourselves and look at something that is going to happen three months from now," Salmon said.
Despite the regular season title, there is plenty to motivate the Cardinals. Though they were the No. 1 seed in last year's MAC Tournament, Miami University eliminated Ball State the first round.
"That feeling we have from when we lost to Miami last year is motivation enough to make our run go even further [this post-season]," forward Sarah Leibel said.
Though it was a disappointing end to the season, Salmon said last year's team laid a good foundation to reach the standards she has set for the program. The outgoing Cardinals' starters - defender Sarah Maxwell along with midfielders Amy Holst and Vandi Ogden - all earned First Team All-MAC honors last season.
"You don't replace players of that magnitude," Salmon said. "You just carry on the tradition of winning."
Although the team is without three standouts from a year ago, Ball State enters the 2007 campaign with experience at nearly every position. The Cardinals return eight of 11 starters from last year's team that finished 13-4-3. The forwards, which was one of the stronger units last season, will be returning all three starters.
Junior Emily Rein is the lone First Team All-MAC member returning to the Cardinals. Playing alongside her is junior forward Sarah Schumaker and senior forward Sarah Leibel, who was voted as one of three captains by her teammates and coaches this season.
Joining Leibel as captains are fellow seniors Laura Bandy and Lindsay Martin.
"It's a huge honor to know that everybody that you're working with wants you to be in the position you're in," Leibel said.
Ball State's goalie position will also be occupied by a returning starter.
Junior goalkeeper Rachel Murphy was the lone Cardinal to see action in that spot last year. In 20 games, Murphy saved more than 73 percent of the shots on goal and allowed 1.05 goals a game, fourth best in the MAC. She also recorded seven shutouts, second best in the conference.
"She has a tendency to step up at big moments and that is really what we need in our system and with our team," Salmon said.
Salmon said she has confidence in Murphy's ability to produce, but she will open competition for the starting position. Freshman Ashley Williamson is expected to be Murphy's primary opposition for the goalie spot. Sophomore goalkeeper Amy O'Hara will not play this season due to a neck injury she suffered during a March practice.
"I don't rule out anything and I don't guarantee starting positions, you got to earn them," Salmon said.
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