The women’s soccer team can’t help but feel good when looking back at their offensive play during its first two games. Ball State (2-0) scored three goals in two consecutive games for the first time since September 2001. Freshman forward Emily Rein’s four-goal offensive onslaught helped change a young and inexperienced offense into an offensive power in the team’s wins against Butler and Indiana State last weekend.
Rein became the seventh Cardinal, and first freshman, to win the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week award, and coach Ron Rainey said Rein will have to keep working after such a big weekend.
“She’ll go as far as her work ethic and work rate on the field go,” Rainey said. “Work ethic is such a huge part of her game that she knows that’s what makes her successful.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever had a freshman get off to a start like that.”
Rainey said the award not only reflected well on Rein, but also put her teammates in the limelight.
“It’s a good team award too because anytime somebody individually gets an award it means the team had something to do with it,” Rainey said.
The team will receive an added boost on offense this weekend when the Cardinals host Illinois State (1-0-1) on Friday and Youngstown State (0-2) on Sunday. Junior midfielder Amy Holst, who tied for second on the team in goals (4) and shot percentage (.190) in 2004, returns from an ankle injury that kept her out of the first weekend of play. Rainey said, as of Thursday, he had not decided if Holst will be inserted into the starting line-up on Friday.
“She’s had to go through the progression of running, cutting and turning without pain, and she’s made huge progressions in those areas,” Rainey said.
Illinois State was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference in a preseason poll ahead of fourth place Indiana State, a team Ball State beat 3-0 in the first game of the season. The Cardinals lost to Illinois State 1-0 in 2004. Rainey said he respects Illinois State as a tough opponent — one of the toughest Ball State may face all year.
“Illinois State has been one of the best mid-major programs in our region over the last 10 years,” Rainey said. “They are very similar to the top teams in the MAC, and it kind of let’s us know where we might be in MAC competition.”
Ball State last played Youngstown State in an 11-1 Cardinal victory in 2000.
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