Three days after returning to Muncie from the Miami University Kick-Off Classic, the Ball State University field hockey team got back on a bus Thursday to travel to Towson, Md., for another two-game weekend.
The Cardinals enter today's game with Towson University at 1-1 on the season after the first weekend of play. Ball State will also face Bucknell University on Saturday before heading home.
The Cardinals hope to build on the momentum they gained from their 2-0 victory Sunday against Davidson College.
"A lot of positives came out of the weekend," coach Annette Payne said. "There are certain things we do, and we can't forget about it."
One of those positives was the play of freshman forward Brittany Hammer, who scored three goals in her first two collegiate field hockey games. Hammer scored twice in the opener against the University of Richmond and then scored the first goal against Davidson 10 minutes into the game.
Hammer gave the credit for her early success to her teammates.
"With my goals, it was the whole team was working up to get the ball," Hammer said.
Defender Jodi Mann notched the other two Ball State goals, both on penalty corners, providing offense from another unexpected source.
"A defender scoring is pretty odd," Mann said. "It's not something I expect. I was definitely thrilled about it though."
The Cardinals might need to find more offense from unexpected places this weekend. Junior forward Brooke MacGillivary, last year's leading scorer, received treatment from the trainer after Wednesday's practice for an apparent injury. Payne refused to comment on the situation.
If MacGillivary is unable to play, more pressure will be put on the defense and goalkeeper Tiffany Shifflett, who recorded her second career shutout against Davidson. Shifflett made five saves a day after giving up eight goals in the loss to Richmond.
"She's got to stay consistent," Payne said. "It's important that she leads back there, because she's capable of it."
For the second straight weekend, Ball State will face East Coast schools. Towson is 1-0 after defeating Robert Morris, and Bucknell is 1-1.
"There are different styles, different coaches and different systems," Payne said. "I think it's great because once you get into the MAC you get other styles too."
During practice this week the team has worked on making adjustments to the East Coast brand of field hockey.
"We just played against two East Coast teams," Hammer said. "It'll just be good to play against them again and see how the changes work."
For the Cardinals to be successful this weekend, Payne said, they will need to play hard the entire game, just as they did in their first two games. The more experienced players will also have to continue to be strong leaders, she said.
"I'm really proud of these guys," Payne said. "They recognize how important their role is."
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