With six Mid-American Conference teams within six points of eachother, Ball State looked to at least maintain its third-place spotthis weekend when facing non-conference opponent Wright State andMAC rival Akron.
Instead, the Cardinals (10-2-6 overall, 5-2-5 MAC) came awaywith two disappointing ties and has to settle for the fifth orsixth seed in the tournament, depending on this week's matchupbetween Eastern Michigan and Miami. Ball State will head north forthe tournament to Michigan, and could face any three of theMichigan schools.
On Friday, Ball State took a 1-0 lead on Wright State in the52nd minute. Dee Nocero was credited with the goal when a scrambleby both teams resulted in the ball finding the back of the net.
Eight minutes later Wright State's Kim Chianese scored on apenalty kick. Only minutes later, Lindsay Wiltshire appeared togive the Cardinals the lead again, but her goal was overturnedbecause she was ruled offside.
Both teams had plenty of opportunities, as Wright State took 17shots to Ball State's 16. The Cards took four shots in overtime,including their best chance three minutes into the first overtime.Vandi Ogden sent a shot to the upper region of the post, but theRaiders' Steph Comisar tipped the ball over the goal post.
In their final MAC game of the season, the Cardinals dominatedoffensively, outshooting Akron 17-4, but couldn't capitalize andsettled for a scoreless tie. Goalie Alison Becker didn't have tosave a shot.
"We put them under a lot of pressure," coach Ron Rainey said."We just couldn't convert any of our chances into goals."
Rainey downplayed having to hit the road for the quarterfinals,despite missing an opportunity to host a game.
"Eventually, we were going to have to go on the road for the MACTournament," he said. "We're just going to have to do it that firstTuesday," he said.
Before then, the Cardinals close the season with a trip toIllinois State for a non-conference game on Thursday.
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