The last time Ball State University was preparing for a game with Missouri State University, the Cardinals ranked last in the Mid-American Conference with a 0-4 record and appeared to be struggling.
Ball State responded by outshooting an opponent for the first time in 2007, led by sophomore forward and MAC goals leader Brooke MacGillivary's hat trick, as the Cardinals collected their first league win, 3-0 against Missouri State.
Now, the Cardinals sit at 3-6 in the league. They will play the same Bears in their final regular-season game on Sunday.
"We have to win that game," senior midfielder Jamie Kahn said. "That needs to be a win. It'd be huge."
Ball State will play Central Michigan University in the first round of next weekend's MAC tournament regardless of the result of Sunday's game, but Kahn's teammates agreed with her. For the Cardinals, Missouri State, who is winless in the league, is a vitally important game.
"It'd be really nice [to win]," sophomore goalkeeper Tiffany Shifflett said. "Especially to go into the MAC tournament with another win. I think we really need that."
Shifflett was named MAC Defensive Player of the Week for her performance last weekend. She collected 13 saves in two games and climbed to fifth on Ball State's single-season saves list, with 140 in 2007.
Although the Cardinals know who they will play in the league tournament, their seeding is not set in stone. Central Michigan plays Ohio University and Kent State University, the top two teams in the league, this weekend. With a victory for Ball State and two Chippewas losses, the Cardinals would tie Central Michigan for fourth place in the league.
"It's really big," Cardinals coach Annette Payne said. "We can only take care of ourselves. Everybody else just has to do their thing."
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