The Ball State University soccer team officially opens its season on the road this weekend. The Cardinals will travel to Florida to play against the University of Miami (Fla.) this Friday and then against Florida Atlantic University on Sunday.
Ball State's exhibition match win against Xavier University on Aug. 17 gave the Cardinals the confidence to perform well in Florida this weekend.
"I'm expecting two wins after this weekend," senior midfielder Megan Ridley said. "We played well against Xavier and I believe we can compete with Miami and Florida Atlantic."
The far road trip is not the first time the team has traveled outside of the region. Last season, the Cardinals traveled to Oklahoma and Colorado for non-conference matches. The distance of the travels though do not affect the team much, Ridley said. To prepare for this weekend's matches, coach Michael Lovett has had the team practicing intensely so the Cardinals will be ready for the tough teams. Miami received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament last year.
"They were intense which is good," Lovett said. "We play against tough teams this weekend so we need to work on executing what we want to do in a match."
Playing against teams from out of region will also help the Cardinals because they will see different formations and styles of play other than what they will in the Mid-American Conference, Lovett said.
Lovett also has been looking at the scouting reports for both Miami and Florida Atlantic to figure counters against their tendencies.
The Hurricanes come into the match with a 1-1-0 record, posting a win against Florida Gulf Coast University and losing to the University of Florida. Florida Atlantic currently has a 0-1-0 with a 2-0 loss to Stetson University. Florida Atlantic will play the University of South Florida this Friday.
In actionBall State at Miami (Fla.)Time: 7:30 p.m. FridayVenue: Coral Gables, Fla.Follow on Twitter: For up-to-date scores and information, check dn_sports
Series historyFriday's game against the University of Miami (Fla.) is the first-ever between the two schools. The Hurricanes finished last season with a 10-9-3 overall record and are led by junior Brittney Steinbruch, who had eight goals last season.
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