With the bitter aftertaste of a first-round upset in last year's Mid-American Conference tournament, the Ball State University soccer team tried to make good on a year of waiting Sunday afternoon against Miami University.
However, the Cardinals ended up dropping their quarterfinal match against Miami, 2-1. Ball State was unable to overcome a slow start as Miami shut out the Cardinals in the first half.
"I think the wind had a lot to do with [our poor start]," coach Michelle Salmon said. "We couldn't really get the ball out of our end in the first half. Even going into the wind, we created a lot more chances than they did. I think the wind definitely played a factor, but today was a day about inches, and the inches definitely fell their way today."
Going with the wind in the second half, the Cardinals looked like they'd mount a comeback. Ball State out-shot Miami 16-7 in the second half, and thoroughly dominated play, Salmon said. However, the Cardinals were only able to muster one goal.
"I think the saddest part about this is that we dominated Miami in the second half and you're all over them, but you're walking out with a loss even though you know you're the better team," Salmon said. "But that's the way soccer goes sometimes. It's not always the team that dominates the game that ends up winning."
The biggest reason for Ball State's offensive woes was the play of Redhawks' goalkeeper Krista Pace. Only a freshman, Pace had 11 saves and single-handedly kept her team in the lead.
"[Pace] played unbelievable," Salmon said. "She had the game of her life. She stopped everything and really came up big."
The contest was a re-match of last Thursday's regular-season finale. The Cardinals won that match 4-2 to wrap up the regular-season conference championship. Salmon said the familiarity Miami had with Ball State didn't play to its advantage.
"People have all different kinds of theories," Salmon said. "At the end of the day, they executed in the final end [of the field] and we didn't."
The winner of the MAC tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Salmon said she regrets not having the opportunity to capture national attention.
"The disheartening thing is that I know we would've made some noise if we made the NCAA tournament," Salmon said. "We have a great team. Just looking at who's been ranked throughout the year, this team can make some noise in the NCAA tournament. It's just a shame that people around the country aren't going to be able to see this team."
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