MAC Women's Soccer standings (as of Oct 24)
1. Bowling Green (27 points) *MAC Regular Season Champions
2. Ball State (22 points)
3. Ohio (20 points)
4. Western Michigan (18 points)
5. Kent State (16 points)
6. Buffalo (15 points)
7. Central Michigan (15 points)
8. Toledo (13 points)
9. Akron (13 points)
10. Eastern Michigan (12 points)
11. Miami (OH) (8 points)
12. Northern Illinois (8 points)
Ball State Soccer (11-3-2, MAC 7-2-1) hosts Miami (OH) (3-13-1, MAC 1-9) this Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Briner Sports Complex for the final regular season game. The Cardinals will then find out who their first opponent for the MAC tournament, which starts Sunday.
The Cardinals carry a six game conference win-streak heading into its final match of the regular season. Bowling Green has secured their first place with 27 points , with the Cardinals behind in second with 22 points. The Cardinals need to secure at least a point in their match against the RedHawks to secure second place. Ohio is currently in the race for second place sitting in third, with a game to play.
The Cardinals first opponent for the conference tournament has yet to be determined, but the Falcons are favored to win the MAC. Earlier this season, the Falcons traveled to Muncie and defeated the Cardinals 3-0. This match for the Cardinals was the first and only time allowing two or more goals this season. The Falcons have scored two or more goals in 10 matches this season and have gone 9-1 in conference play.
The Cardinals enter the weekend shutting-out three of their last four opponents. Senior goalkeeper Tristin Stuteville enters the weekend with a .833 save percentage, just allowing .66 goals a game. Freshman forward Tatiana Mason leads the team with five goals and shares the lead of assists with senior midfielder Paulo Guerrero, each with three. Freshman defender Jenna Dombrowski has scored a game-winner and provided an assist in her last two games.
“We focus on improving the details,” head coach Roberts said. “We need a team performance.”
The RedHawks come into this game losing their last four games. They have allowed 31 goals this season, 1.82 goals a game, the second worst in the MAC. Forward Lyda Bogdanovitch leads the RedHawks with five goals this season. While midfielder Jordan King leads the RedHawks with five assists this season.
The Cardinals started conference play slow, winning one of their first four MAC games. That form has since changed, rounding off their conference winning percentage to .750. The Cardinals recent success has given them great momentum coming into the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament.
Contact Tyler Pence with any comments at tapence@bsu.edu or on Twitter @tylerpencee