After a needed win on the road last Sunday, the Ball State University soccer team faced another must-win match against Bowling Green State University on Friday.
The Cardinals got the much needed win for the second match in a row, beating the Falcons 1-0 in their Mid-American Conference home opener.
"This win was huge for us," junior forward Jacki Eft said. "We needed this win today. Before the game we felt good. I felt we were going to get this win."
The Cardinals were depleted coming into the game, playing without five players due to injury or suspension. Senior midfielder Megan Ridley was serving a one-game suspension for receiving a red card in the match against the University at Buffalo on Sunday. Sophomore midfielder Christine Concannon and freshman defender Skylar Chew were both out of the match for injuries.
Senior midfielder Patti Hoeg and junior midfielder Meg Mellot were dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules.
"This week the freshman came together as a family," coach Michael Lovett said. "We realized that when you are a family you make sacrifices for each other. We were without our heart and soul of the team today in Megan Ridley, but we had to move on."
The weather also played a role in the match, with gusts up to 25 miles per hour. The field was also soaked from the rain that came Thursday night and continued into early Friday morning.
"The wind was really hard to play in today. We were against the wind in the first half, which made it really difficult for us," Eft said. "But we didn't allow a goal when they were with the wind which was key for us."
The lone goal of the game came in the 25th minute when freshman forward Paige Stroinski sent a cross pass into the penalty area from the right side of the 18-yard box that found Eft's knee and went over the Bowling Green goalkeeper.
With the win, Ball State is now 2-1-0 going into Sunday's match against the University of Toledo. Lovett hopes his team can continue its performance against Bowling Green for the remainder of the season.
"We have to play with the performance and attitude we did today if we want to be atop the standings by season's end," Lovett said. "We have to play for our teammates and play like a family."
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
