SOCCER: Sophomore forward stepping out of slump in Hawaii

Moses scores two goals in two games to secure draws

Early last week, coach Craig Roberts and sophomore forward Jasmine Moses had a meeting to talk about why the Cardinals' scoring leader from last season wasn't having the same impact in 2012.

It came after Moses didn't see a single minute of action in Sunday's match against IPFW, the last game before the 20-man roster heading to Hawaii was chosen.

Roberts said the meeting wasn't to tell Moses she wouldn't be going to Honolulu, but rather to talk about reaching her full potential and setting new goals.

One of those goals - to put more shots on frame in practice - paid off in the Cardinals' final game of the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Soccer Classic in Hawaii on Saturday.

Moses scored Ball State's lone goal in 1-1 tie against Detroit, her first goal of the season. The strike came off a pass from junior midfielder Maimee Morris in the eighth minute of action.

"I definitely felt like I played more like myself [Saturday]," Moses said. "It felt natural, and I was having a lot more fun playing."

After a good week of practice, Roberts said he started Moses for the first time since the season-opener against Marshall. It turned out to be a good decision.

"It was really encouraging to see Jasmine [Moses] back to form," Roberts said. "She was definitely back to normal on Saturday and was a factor in the game."

After playing two overtimes and 120 minutes of action in a 1-1 tie against Hawai'i on Friday, Ball State duplicated that exact result Saturday to finish out the tournament with a 3-2-2 record.

"We were delighted that we increased our score sheet in shots on goal," Roberts said. "In both games, we felt we were the better team at times. We just couldn't score another goal, as usual."

If Moses can play more like her 2011 self, a season where she was voted to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team, then Ball State might not have its finishing problem much longer.
"I think if she's on form, she can definitely finish," Roberts said. "She's a natural goal scorer."

However until Moses or one of the other Ball State forwards gets hot and stays hot for this team, scoring goals will be the No. 1 focus. This weekend's games were no different.

"Looking back, we could have easily won both games," Moses said. "Once we improve on our finishing, we're definitely in a good position going into Mid-American Conference play."


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