Upcoming schedule
Sept. 18 at Indiana - 4 p.m.
Sept. 26 vs. Ohio University - 12 p.m.
Sept. 27 vs. Iowa - 12 p.m.
Oct. 2 at Longwood - 5 p.m.
Oct. 4 at Virginia Commonwealth - 12 p.m.
The victory was the first under first-year head coach Sally Northcroft and snapped a six-game losing streak to begin the season. Northcroft is fired up for the rest of the season following the win.
“I’m excited now because I can see where this team is heading, and they are believing in the game plan and what we’re trying to do,” Northcroft said in a statement. “We’ve got some time now to work on those things and really iron out some of those details in terms of protecting the ball and passing the ball when under pressure and being able to handle the kind of pressure we were under today on a regular basis.”
Ball State opened the weekend on the road against Ohio State, a 3-2 loss. The Cardinals combatted pressure all game, as the Buckeyes attempted 17 shots.
Junior Lexi Kavanaugh continued her strong season with two goals against Ohio State. She added another pair of goals in the win over Appalachian State and leads the team with five goals this season.
For Ball State, the win against Appalachian State couldn't have come at a better time.
“If you’re going to win anywhere, it’s nice to win at home,” Northcroft said. “I think that it’s really exciting and the team played with a lot of guts and determination. I think it was a really hard-fought game and it made it interesting until the very end, but I’m proud of how they followed through with the game plan.”
The Cardinals started the game up 2-0 with goals from Anya Eicher and Kavanaugh in the first half. The Mountaineers responded with a goal in the 41st minute to cut the deficit to one.
Feeling the pressure of momentum changing, Northcroft called a key timeout to settle the team down. The teams traded a goal each to make the score 3-2 in the second half.
Junior goalkeeper Jordan Dues held her own in the net for the rest of the match, and the defense stopped Appalachian State for the win.
With the pressure of getting its first win now gone, Ball State will look to close out the non-conference portion of its schedule in strong fashion before beginning Mid-American Conference play on Oct. 2.
“This team has amazing potential," Northcroft said. "And when you get down in a rut and feel the pressure, you have to find a way to get them out."
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