For the first time since taking over the Ball State University soccer team, Michael Lovett will coach a game in Muncie on Sunday.
The Cardinals will play in their annual alumni game at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Ball State Soccer Field, their one home game of the spring season.
"The real fun is going to be, one: playing at home because we haven't played at home this spring, and two: seeing where [the alumni are] at [in their lives]," goalkeeper Rachael Murphy said.
Murphy said the transition to Lovett's coaching has been going great, and he is also adjusting to the team. The first-year coach is giving everyone on the team a chance to show him what they can do, she said, as he does not have a starting lineup set.
Lovett was hired as Ball State's coach March 3 to replace Michelle Salmon, who left for the University of Cincinnati. He said the spring has been excellent for his team, as it boasts a 3-0-1 record.
"I just think that it's a testament to them," Lovett said. "I told from my very first day 'you're not proving anything to me, you're showing yourself.'"
Ball State will try to show itself against another group of people that will be trying to prove that it can play, Lovett said.
The coach said the alumni team will be trying to prove to the current Cardinals that it is not just a bunch of old ladies and that the alumni can still play. He also said this year's team has to show that it can keep up the tradition the team's alumni have created at Ball State.
"As far as the game, it's about proving that the existing team is worthy of wearing that jersey," he said.
The Ball State defense, which limited opponents to a Mid-American Conference-best 0.65 goals against average, has yet to allow a goal this spring. Last year's goalkeeper, Murphy, has yet to play a game in goal because of an injury, so Amy Cleeter has spent all the time in goal.
Murphy, who expects to return to the field Saturday in a game at the University of Illinois, said Jen Vilkoski has been a key part of the defense with her out and two of last year's defenders lost to graduation.
She also said the Cardinals' program has been steadily on the rise. The Cardinals are coming off back-to-back MAC regular-season championships, the first two in the program's nine-year history.
Murphy said the community has been very supportive of the Cardinals and she has even been stopped by fans who are curious about the team.
Lovett said he anticipates a great crowd for Ball State's one home game of the spring. He has heard a lot about the great crowds and has seen video of the raucous fans, he said, and he looks forward to coaching his first game in Muncie. Lovett also said he will take the game as an opportunity to connect with the team's alumni.
"It's important to the point of respecting those that have been here and laid the foundation for the present and future," he said. "It's also important to show them that you started it, but we're here take over."
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
