Heading into the final weeks of the regular season, many Ball State Athletic teams are looking for big wins going into the conclusion of the fall season. Here’s what’s in store for this weekend.
Soccer
Ball State Soccer (9-3-2, 5-2-1 MAC) travels to Michigan this weekend with a four game win streak on the line as it takes on Central Michigan (6-10, MAC 4-4) and Eastern Michigan (8-9, MAC 3-5) .
The Cardinals come into the weekend with three shutouts in their last three games. The defensive unity of the Cardinals has shown as they have allowed just 11 shots on target against their last three opponents. Freshman forward Tatiana Mason leads the Cardinals with four goals. In assists, senior Paula Guerrero leads the Cardinals with three assists.
“We need to keep advancing our play and take it one game at a time,” head coach Roberts said. “It’s going to be a battle to the end.”
The Chippewas come into this match having lost three of their last four games. Senior forward Lexi Pelafas has scored eight goals for the Chippewas this season. The Eagles have scored 20 goals as a team averaging 1.18 goals a game. Junior forward Kristin Nason leads with six goals for the Eagles.
Contact Tyler Pence with any comments at tapence@bsu.edu or on Twitter @tylerpencee
Field Hockey
Ball State Field Hockey (2-12, 2-2 MAC) begins its final stretch of the season with two key matchups on the road this weekend against Central Michigan (1-15, 0-5 MAC) and No. 20 Northwestern (8-8, 3-4 Big Ten).
Although the record says otherwise, the conference matchup will have to be taken seriously for the Cardinals. Friday’s matchup will be the last game of the Chippewas season and they are hungry for at least one MAC win.
“It’s a similar situation to us here. They can come out and surprise you, they always play hard,” head coach Stephanie Bernthal said. “They’ve just been building and going through the same growing pains that we are going through. It will certainly be a battle for us. It should be fun and exciting.”
After facing the Chippewas on Friday, the Cardinals conclude their road trip on Sunday the Wildcats
“It’s another top team, and we’ve played so many of them,” said Bernthal. “They’ll challenge us big time. They are a tactical team and execute well.”
There is much at stake for the Cardinals this weekend. A win on Friday would bode well for the MAC tournament and a win Sunday would help prepare the team mentally for the aforementioned tournament.
The Cardinals take on the Chippewas at 3 p.m. on Friday, then face the Wildcats at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Contact Gavin Crafton with any comments at gncrafton@bsu.edu or on Twitter @GavinCrafton
Women’s Golf
Ball State Women’s Golf will round out its fall schedule this weekend at the Cardinal Cup. After coming off of a pair of tough tournaments, the Cardinals look to end the fall season with a top placement in Kentucky.
Sophomore Liz Kim and junior Manon Tounalom have been the two leading forces for the Cardinals this season. Tounalom finished runner-up at the annual Redbird Invitational earlier this fall season. Kim posted a team-best performance at the Ball State hosted Cardinal Classic tying for sixth place overall.
With a majority of the team being comprised of freshmen, it is important for every player to be at the top of their game in order to seize a top spot in their final tournament of the fall season.
“We are focusing on all of the success we have had during the first portion of the season,” head coach Katherine Mowat said. “We are excited to put together some good rounds this weekend.”
The Cardinals will be teeing off at the Cardinal Cup in Simpsonville, KY.
Contact Drew Pierce with any comments at dlpierce2@bsu.edu or on Twitter @dpierce3cc
Men’s Golf
Ball State Men’s Golf will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio on Sunday to participate in the Muskies Classic, taking place Oct. 22 to Oct. 23. The invitational will be the Cardinals’ final tournament of the fall season.
Head coach Mike Fleck will remain with the same lineup that he used at the Chatham Hills Collegiate, in which the Cardinals finished sixth. Redshirt sophomore Tyler Green and sophomore C.J. Jones will also compete as individuals.
“[The event] is a great way for everybody on the roster to get their last fall event in before we move into the offseason,” Fleck said.
In addition to taking part in a practice round on Sunday, the Cardinals will spend Friday and Saturday practicing at home, specifically working on putting conversion and better improving their short game.
“We just want to keep working on our shots,” Fleck said. “If we can be a little better on the greens, we can definitely take our scores down a little lower.”
Contact Connor Smith with any comments at cnsmith@bsu.edu
Women’s Volleyball
A competitive weekend is approaching for Ball State Women’s Volleyball as they prepare to face two top contenders in the MAC. Ball State (16-5, 7-1 MAC), Bowling Green (13-8, 7-1
MAC) and Miami (15-5, 7-1 MAC) all maintain the same conference record and the Falcons and the Redhawks hold the top two spots in the East Division.
“The challenge is going to be making sure we’re staying fresh and prepared throughout this back half of the season,” head coach Kelli Miller said. “We have to stay mentally and physically prepared and that’s something we take on a day at a time.”
Junior setter Amber Seaman will face her sister at the net on Friday against the RedHawks, Morgan Seaman, who is also a setter. Junior Margaret Payne leads the Redhawks in kills with 190 and the team is currently on a five-game win streak.
After starting their season off 0-5, the Falcons stepped up their game and have only lost three matches since then, with only one conference loss. In their last four meetings, the Cardinals have come out victorious over the Falcons each time.
“I think the key to staying consistent, especially during MAC season, is just focusing on us and what we need to do,” outside hitter Jessica Lindsey said. “We just have to do everything we can on our side of the net.”
The Cardinals will face the RedHawks in Oxford on Friday at 7 p.m. before heading to Bowling Green to face the Falcons on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Contact Gabi Glass with any comments at grglass@bsu.edu or on Twitter @gabiglass
Men’s Tennis
As a team, Ball State Men’s Tennis struggled in singles play at both the Purdue Invitational last weekend. Going into this weekend's tournament in Louisville, the team will look to improve on various facets of the game including singles play.
“Specifically, I’ve been working on my backhands and volleys a lot with coach and in group drills,” freshman Danilo Kovacevic said. “These drills have really helped out. My volleys have gotten a lot better.”
In Louisville, the Cardinals will see similar competition as they did last weekend. According to head coach Bill Richards, the competition level will be similar as well.
“We played at Louisville last year,” Richards said. “Everyone is good. There aren’t any bad players. No one recruits bad players.”
The invitational begins on Oct. 19 to Oct. 21.
Contact Patrick Murphy with any comments at prmurphy2@bsu.edu or on Twitter @PMURPH505
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