The Ball State University field hockey team's opponent today can empathize with the Cardinals' current six-game losing skid.
The Cardinals face Ohio State University at 3 p.m. at the BSU Turf Field.
The Buckeyes broke a four-game losing streak in their last game. They snapped the skid against Miami University Wednesday, while Ball State lost to the same RedHawks team 3-2 Saturday on a last-second penalty corner.
Although the game will break up the Cardinals' Mid-American Conference schedule, coach Annette Payne said the team will have no problems getting prepared for Ohio State.
"A game's a game," Payne said. "It's an opportunity for these guys."
Ohio State is no stranger to MAC opponents, having played three already this season. Prior to the Buckeyes' win against Miami, they lost to Kent State University and Ohio University, 4-2 and 3-0 respectively.
Although the Cardinals are not long removed from the close defeat, sophomore goalkeeper Tiffany Shifflett said the Cardinals will not allow the loss to hang over their heads.
"I don't think we'll walk away with our heads down," Shifflett said. "We fought right to the end."
Payne said the defense has been more aggressive of late and she looks for it to continue against Ohio State.
"They did a good job with the press [against Miami]," Payne said. "They attacked a lot more in the backfield."
Payne said the team tries to emphasize senior midfielder Lauren Cruz and junior midfielder Jodi Mann when defending the goal.
"We try to make Cruz and Jodi readily available," Payne said. "We play with a sense of urgency."
Senior back Nicole Humphreys said the team looks to make the opponent make the first move when Ball State is on defense.
"We want to force them to one side," Humphreys said. "We don't want to let them too close."
Humphreys said that she tries to make big plays defensively.
"I love to look for the interception," Humphreys said. "Then I can send it to my teammates."
Shifflett said that the Cardinals worked on their penalty corner unit after the last-second corner sent Ball State to a defeat.
"We'll try to take care of it," Shifflett said.
The game is a non-conference battle and will not affect MAC standings, but Humphreys said the Cardinals will come out firing.
"Even though it's non-conference, we have to carry what we did Saturday into Tuesday," Humphreys said.
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