Three freshmen on the Ball State soccer squad led the team in offense this weekend, scoring all six goals for the Cardinals in a 3-0 win against Indiana State on Friday and a 3-2 victory over Butler on Sunday.
Freshman forward Emily Rein led all scorers, totaling four goals during the weekend. Rein said the goals relieved pressure for her because of expectations that come with a starting position.
“It took a lot of pressure off my back because I was nervous coming in as a freshman,” Rein said. “A lot of it is my teammates helping me out.
“I’m just finishing the play because my teammates get the ball to me.”
Ball State coach Ron Rainey said Rein’s hard-nosed attitude led to her four goals.
“Emily [Rein] is an ultimate grinder out there, and her goals were her just saying, ‘I want the ball more than you,’” Rainey said. “She now has to realize she has to step it up and be that much better because teams will plan for her in their game plans.”
Ball State (2-0) outshot both teams by large margins. The Cards opened the first half against Indiana State (1-1) outshooting the Sycamores 15-1, and ended the game up 22-7. Ball State outshot Butler 14-7. Rainey said the team’s offensive aggressiveness in both games is a main part of the team’s persona.
“As a coach, you want to see players get to the ball before the other team, and that’s how we scored,” Rainey said. “One of our big strengths this year is going to be our work rate at getting to the ball.”
The solid offensive start is good news for a team that is young at the forward spot. The Cardinals lost their top two scorers of 2004 to graduation. Rein’s fellow freshmen Leah Johnson and Annie Aiello added one goal each during the weekend.
Ball State had to come from behind to get the win against Butler (0-2) after falling behind 2-1 at the 16:55 mark in the first half. Rainey said the early breakdown in defense was the result of bad strategy.
“I take a lot of the blame for us breaking down defensively because I had our numbers down in the back of the field,” he said. “Other than that, I thought we played great [on defense].”
The defense stepped up the second half, allowing only three shots. Johnson scored off of an assist from sophomore midfielder Laura Bandy four minutes before the end of the first half to tie the game. Rein’s score at the 72:25 mark was the only goal in the second half of play.
Starting goalkeeper Alison Becker totaled six saves and allowed two goals over the weekend.
Junior midfielder Amy Holst, who finished tied for second on the team in goals scored in 2004, didn’t play in either game due to a sprained ankle. Rainey said she is day-to-day but should be ready to play Friday, when Ball State hosts Illinois State.
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