The field hockey team picked up its first loss of the season Friday, but corrected its mistakes to earn its third victory Sunday.
The Cardinals (3-1) lost to Indiana 2-0 at home Friday. The Hoosiers (4-0) shut out Ball State for the first time in eight games and were the aggressors throughout the game, according to head coach Annette Payne.
Payne said her team came out slow and wasn't able to convert good passes into goals.
"We needed to come out with 70-minutes ready to play, and we didn't do that today," Payne said. "There were a lot of opportunities (to score), and we just needed to finish them."
Senior Afton Hess, who had eight shots but no goals, agreed that the team didn't do as well as it should have.
"We didn't come out as strong as we needed to," Hess said. "Basically, we weren't cutting in front of the ball today and it showed everywhere."
What Payne wanted from her team Friday, she got Sunday against Southwest Missouri.
The Cardinals came out shooting against the Bears (1-2) on their way to a 4-0 victory. Payne said her team played hard from start to finish and that was the difference in the game.
"We got (70 minutes of hard play) today. Everybody came (to play) and everybody participated today, which is huge," Payne said.
As much trouble as the Cardinals had scoring Friday, they had as much success Sunday. Ball State's four goals came on just seven shots.
Sophomore Chantelle Isaac started the scoring 6:41 into the game with an unassisted goal. Senior Becky Weaver then scored two goals in a row, both assisted by Hess.
Hess finished the scoring with a goal off a pass from Isaac.
Payne said the Cardinals got the same scoring opportunities they got against IU, only against Southwest Missouri, they were able to convert them into goals.
"Overall today, we just finished," Payne said. "We took plays to the hole and that's what you have to do. You have to start (plays) and finish them, and we did that today."
Weaver attributed her two-goal performance, her first two of the season, to the hard work of her teammates.
"For the most part, we all (gave 70 minutes) as a unit, not just individually," Weaver said. "(The goals) wouldn't have happened if I didn't have good assists."
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