Ball State University came out controlling the ball and keeping it out of Eastern Michigan's possession for nearly all 90 minutes on Sunday. The Cardinals came away with a 2-1 win by effectively playing with a balanced offensive and defensive attack.
"We possessed the ball well by having a balanced team effort on offense and defense," coach Ron Rainey said. "In the second half especially, we did a great job of getting to balls and winning possessions that led to good scoring opportunities for us."
Ball State (11-3 overall, 4-2 MAC) played composed for most of the game getting scores early in the first and second halves, while out shooting Eastern Michigan 10-7.
"We allowed ourselves to get good attacks, and we even got our defenders in the attacks as well," Rainey said. "Being able to score early really helped us control the game."
The Cardinals got a score early thanks to a mishandled ball by Eastern Michigan goalkeeper Sara Schiffbauer. Junior midfielder Vandi Ogden scored 25 feet from the goal in the 15th minute after the ball went through the hands of Schiffbauer. Ogden led the team with seven shots, six on goal, in two games during the weekend.
Eastern Michigan (5-8-1 overall, 3-3 MAC) scored a minute after Ogden's goal, off of a penalty kick, and sophomore defender Betsy Wilcek said that Ball State regrouped as a defense to shut Eastern Michigan down after halftime.
"[Eastern Michigan] was a real physical team, and we came out of halftime by playing real tough defense by closing down their scoring opportunities and just keeping the ball away from our goal," Wilcek said.
Freshman forward Bailey Decker scored the first goal of her career and the game-winner four minutes into the second half off of a combination pass from senior Lindsay Wiltshire and sophomore Angie Heyer. Decker said the team's objective after halftime was to get a goal as early as possible.
"We came out really hard in that second half looking to get a score by pushing the tempo," Decker said. "Angie [Heyer] brought the ball down field and made a perfect pass to me, and I was able to sneak it past the goalkeeper."
Ball State's composed play on Sunday was a result of recovering from a frantic game on Friday. Ball State suffered its third 1-0 loss of the season and second in Mid-American Conference play after playing in its first overtime game this year. Central Michigan controlled most of the offense, out-shooting the Cardinals 14-6, including six shots by junior Alison Heydorn. Central Michigan also controlled the overtime period by out shooting Ball State 5-1.
Rainey said the play by both teams was surprising.
"The game was completely opposite of what I thought it was going to be like," Rainey said. "We thought there was going to be a lot of scoring and a lot of back-and-forth play, but both teams really stepped up defensively to prevent that from happening."
Coming away with a split weekend against two of the top teams in the MAC sits well with Rainey and his team. Rainey said he is still impressed by the level of energy and effort his team exhibits every game.
"These were two teams that will be at the top of the league at the end of the season, and I'm real happy with how the team handled both games," Rainey said. "Our effort has been very consistent, and as long as we continue to do that, we will be competitive in every game."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
