Mapquest.com will tell you it's a little over 1600 miles from the Ball State University campus to Flagstaff, Arizona, the site of last weekend's LaQuinta Inn and Suites Mountain Classic.
After battling to a 2-1 loss and a 0-0 tie in two games against Northern Arizona University and Portland State University respectively, the trip back felt even longer for junior goalkeeper Rachael Murphy.
"This weekend was tough with the loss and the tie," Murphy said. "Especially being early in the season, we definitely wanted to get two [wins]. We thought we were capable of it, we just weren't able to get it done."
Though the players were disappointed with the outcome on the scoreboard, coach Michelle Salmon said the weekend as a whole offered invaluable opportunities to her team.
"It was a great learning experience for us," Salmon said. "It was great to see different styles of play from around the country. It was really good exposure for our program, and it was a great experience for our players.
"The next step is the NCAA tournament. If we make it to the tournament, this weekend is exactly how it will be with the long travel."
In the loss against Northern Arizona, Salmon said a negative factor on the team was the elevation at which the game was played. Flagstaff is approximately one mile above sea level, and the Cardinals had difficulty adjusting to the high altitude in the first half.
"The altitude affected us a little bit," Salmon said. "Playing at Flagstaff is kind of like playing at Mile High Stadium [where the Denver Broncos play home games] because it's the same altitude. But overall I was pretty pleased with our fitness and conditioning."
Accounting for the lone goal in the 2-1 loss was freshman forward Megan Ridley.
However, it was a bittersweet day for Ridley, as she later sustained a leg injury that kept her out of the game Sunday.
"I'm glad I got my first goal over with," Ridley said, "but it was hard watching the game Sunday from the sidelines. I was just glad that I could still be there and cheer them on, even if I couldn't play."
It looked as though the defense got accustomed to the altitude by the time Sunday's game rolled around. After giving up two goals in the weekend opener on Friday, the Cardinals earned their first shutout of the season in a double-overtime 0-0 tie against Portland State.
Instead of battling the altitude on Sunday, however, the Cardinals were forced to face a slew of injuries that plagued the team. Even with starters Ridley and Vandi Ogden out, Murphy said she wasn't worried.
"One thing about Ball State soccer is that our bench is very deep," Murphy said. "Even when we have starters out, we still get people off the bench that can play just as good as a starter. So I wasn't worried about our injuries."
Though it won't help the Cardinals' injuries, a good cure will be the location of their next match. After a long road trip to start the regular season, Ball State will have its home opener against Indiana State University this Friday.
"It's fun to hang out on the road," Murphy said. "But it's definitely going to be nice to come back home and play on our own turf. Hopefully we can use the home-field advantage to get a win."
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