When push came to shove, Ball State University prevailed.
In one of the most physical games the Cardinals have played in this season, Ball State shutout Western Michigan 2-0 on Sunday in a contest between two of the elite teams in the Mid-American Conference.
The ninth shutout posted by Ball State (14-3-1 overall, 7-2-1 MAC) this year places the Cardinals in good position heading into the regular season's final game this Friday.
The win moves the Cardinals into second place in the MAC, behind first-place Bowling Green. Ball State will need a win Friday at Miami (OH) and a Bowling Green loss at Toledo to win the MAC regular season championship.
Senior midfielder Gretchen Echelbarger said the motivation to win against a talented Western Michigan squad on Senior Day will carry over into the final game.
"We were really focused on coming in today and taking this game so we could continue to play well into next weekend and then the conference tournament," Echelbarger said.
Western Michigan was ranked in the top two in all six offensive statistical categories for MAC play this season, but they could not find a way to break through Ball State's defense. Western Michigan did not get its first shot until the 27th minute of the first half and was outshot by Ball State 16-5 by the end of the game. Senior defender Krista Mitts attributed the stellar defensive effort to the entire team, not just the defenders.
"The defense started with the girls up top today," Mitts said. "In the first half, the ball barely crossed the line for us to defend and our offense just kept the ball on their side of the field. It was a great effort from everybody to stop them."
For the second straight game, the Cardinals found the goal in the 12th minute in the first half after sophomore Betsy Wilcek was knocked down to the ground by a Western Michigan defender and the Cardinals were awarded a penalty kick. Junior Vandi Ogden kicked it in 30 feet from the goal when Western Michigan's goalkeeper missed the save by mistiming her reach for the ball.
The physical play from both teams took over the second half of play. Seventeen fouls were called in the second stanza, nine more than in the first half. Ball State coach Ron Rainey said the physical play was expected because of how both teams play and want to win.
"Both teams like to play physical and we knew that by looking at the scouting," Rainey said. "I think both teams went at each other hard and they didn't want to give up ground to each other."
Ball State finally put Western Michigan away for good in the 72nd minute when Mitts headed the ball from inside the box into an empty net. It was the first goal for Mitts this season.
Freshman forward Emily Rein led the team in shots with five. Rein, the team leader in goals, left the game in the middle of the second half when she was kicked in the leg by a Western Michigan player. Rainey said her status was uncertain after the game.
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