Although it is focused on looking forward, the Ball State University soccer team still has some hard feelings from last year.
After 110 scoreless minutes in the semifinals of the 2007 Mid-American Conference Tournament, Bowling Green State University advanced to the finals with a 3-0 advantage in penalty kicks against Ball State. For the first time since that game the Cardinals will play the Falcons at 4 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ohio.
"We think about it a little bit going into it, especially if they have a lot of the same players," Sarah Schumacker said. "But each year is a new year, and obviously we bring on new players onto our team and so do they. So you've got to take it year by year. You can't harp on the past too much."
Both Schumacker and coach Michael Lovett emphasized the fact that this year's teams are different than last year's. However, they both said some of the pains remain from last year as the Cardinals watched the Falcons celebrate on the Ball State Soccer Field.
"This isn't last year's team, but at the same time the upperclassmen know the history," the first-year Ball State coach said. "The upperclassmen have felt those pains, and I know that they have a chip on their shoulder, wanting to go out and celebrate the same on their field Friday night."
After advancing past Ball State, Bowling Green lost in the MAC championship game last year to the University of Toledo, the Cardinals' opponent Sunday.
This year the Rockets (7-4, 2-2 MAC) were predicted to win their third-consecutive tournament championship by the MAC coaches in the conference's preseason poll. For the regular season, Toledo was also predicted to finish first.
The two-time defending regular season MAC champion - Ball State (7-5, 3-1 MAC) - was predicted to finish second and Bowling Green (7-3-3, 2-1-1 MAC) was slated for third by the coaches.
Given the history of success for this weekend's opponents, Lovett said this will be the Cardinals' toughest conference weekend to date and possibly for the year.
"[Toledo is] back-to-back tournament champions, and that's something that they want to rub in our face when we play them," Lovett said. "Bowling Green is always one of the top teams. They put us out of the tournament last year, so there's a lot of bad blood between the two teams. I know that both games are going to be very, very competitive."
Entering this weekend Ball State is one game behind Central Michigan University in the conference standings with seven games left on the schedule. The Chippewas beat the Cardinals 3-0 to begin conference play Sept. 26.
Since that game Ball State has won its past three games by three goals each.
If the Cardinals continue to play their hard, aggressive, fast style of play they used the last three games, they will be a tough team to beat, Lovett said. He also said he thinks the team can keep up the same level of success they have had the past two weeks.
"I don't think it's going to be that hard if we execute things," he said. "I honestly think that we can get two to three goals a game. Our thing is going to be preventing the other team from getting two to three goals as well. So far we've been able to do that. I plan to be able to continue it."
Although the team has been playing so well the past three games, Schumacker said, there is some frustration remaining from the loss to Central Michigan. That frustration has provided a lot of motivation for the Cardinals to win every game remaining in MAC play to give them a chance for a third-consecutive conference championship, she said.
"The senior class especially, we're trying to go for the third year in a row," Schumacker said. "We would love nothing more to do that and try to accomplish that. We want to win from here on out."
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