Unlike most of their teammates, Olivia Ramirez and Tina Vannatta came to Ball State University without scholarships for their soccer abilities.
Despite the lack of recognition through scholarships, the two walk-ons to the Ball State soccer team have gained recognition from their coaches and teammates for their abilities during their freshman seasons.
"[Ramirez] and Tina both have come in and made a huge impact on this team in practice, off the field, on road trips," coach Michael Lovett said. "It's almost unheard of for walk-ons to be contributing this much this early, and I don't know where without them right now."
When Vannatta came to Ball State in the fall of 2007, she did not plan on playing soccer. She came to the university to pursue her degree in special education, which was her major when she enrolled.
Vannatta played soccer throughout most of her life, but her career turned south in high school because of injuries. She tore her ACL three times during high school - twice during her junior year and once during her senior year.
During her freshman year at Ball State, Vannatta went to most of the soccer games and missed being part of a team, she said. After working out to get back in shape and receiving encouragement from her trainer, she decided to tryout for the Ball State team this season.
"She came in the very first night when we had our midnight madness, and she was our third-fittest person," Lovett said. "For someone who hadn't played soccer in a year, to come in and be the third-fittest person, it got the attention of not only me but everyone else. The very first practice it wasn't 'Oh, here's this walk-on.' It was, 'Hey, this girl is probably pretty good.' She had the respect from their very first day she stepped on the field, and she's earned her position."
Ramirez also chose Ball State for education and not athletics. However, unlike Vannatta, Ramirez chose to try out for the soccer team her first year at the university.
"I decided I can't play soccer outside of school, so I'm going to come here and walk on," Ramirez said.
Going into this season, both Ramirez and Vannatta followed the same timetable as they joined the Cardinals about three weeks before the preseason began. Both women also made their presence felt this weekend in Ball State's first home games of the season.
After playing in three of the four first games of the season, Vannatta made her first collegiate start in the Cardinals' backfield Friday.
"I was just happy to make the team," she said. "I was beyond excited when I found out I would be starting."
Vannatta also started Sunday's home game, in which Ramirez scored her first collegiate goal to give Ball State a 1-0 lead in an eventual 2-0 win against Southern Methodist University.
"It boosted my confidence a lot more," Ramirez said. "It helped. It's just the greatest feeling in the world."
With both women being walk-ons, Vannatta said, the two were drawn together from the beginning. Not only is she excited for her success on the field, she is also excited for Ramirez, she said.
Lovett said he has never been part of a program that had two walk-ons contribute so much in their freshman seasons. The presence Ramirez and Vannatta have contributed is more than welcome, he said.
"We were fortunate," Lovett said. "We had two girls that came in. They were fit. They were ready to contribute just from the beginning. I couldn't ask for anything better from them."
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