After stating off the season 0-2, Ball State Field Hockey (0-2, 0-0 MAC) looks to get back on track as they travel to Iowa City to take on Dartmouth (0-0, 0-0 Ivy League) and Iowa (1-2, 0-0 Big 10).
Last weekend, the Cardinals fell to Saint Francis on the road, 4-0, then at home to Indiana, 2-0. In both losses, the Cardinals had rough starts defensively, but were able to hold their own. However, offense has been a consistent issue, with the Cardinals attempting 12 combined shots in both games, but having yet to score a goal.
Redshirt sophomore Rachel Pereira and junior Arantxa Rosainz Caloca lead the team in shots with three each. Goalkeeper Grace Chavez has played every minute of both games and has registered 11 saves.
This weekend's tournament in Iowa is the beginning of four game stretch of away games. The Cardinals won't be back in Muncie until Sept. 15 when they open up conference play against Miami (OH). According to head coach Stephanie Bernthal, the team is unbothered by the time away from home.
"To us it’s just any other game," Bernthal said. "Home or away we shouldn’t have a different mentality. We just have to focus on going out there and playing the way we want to play, being consistent in that. We haven’t shown that yet, that’s the main focus."
On the other side of the field, Iowa is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to No. 2 North Carolina, where they were outshot 17-4 by the Tar Heels. Maddy Murphy has scored a goal for the Hawkeyes in each of their first two games. The Cardinals last played the Hawkeyes in 2016, where they fell 4-1. Dartmouth kicks off their season on Friday as they will face host Iowa.
“We're looking forward to this weekend,” Redshirt junior Hannah Bohn said. “It’s really gonna test our teamwork and we’re gonna see where we have downfalls and where we'll work together. That’s gonna be really clear, especially against the teams we’re gonna be playing this weekend.”
The Cardinals face off against the Big Green on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST in Iowa City.
Contact Gavin Crafton with comments at gncrafton@bsu.edu or on Twitter @GavinCrafton
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