As the second overtime began at the Ball State soccer field on Friday, the first shadows of evening were creeping onto the otherwise sun-drenched pitch.
Just minutes later, as the decisive goal floated into the back of the Ball State net, a shadow was permanently cast on the Cardinals' Mid-American Conference Tournament chances.
Ball State battled for more than 100 scoreless minutes but lost 1-0 to Eastern Michigan at home, in a must-win game if the Cardinals were going to remain in the running for a tournament birth.
The lone goal was scored in the 101st minute, when goalie Layne Schramm came out of the box to stop a shot and collided with Eastern Michigan forward Paige Sheridan. In the resulting scramble Sheridan was able to kick the ball free and midfielder Cara Cutaia tapped the game-winner into an empty net.
The loss was not for lack of trying by Ball State.
"I couldn't fault their effort, they really played hard," coach Craig Roberts said. "They did everything we asked of them tactically."
While Roberts was pleased with the team's effort as a whole, sophomores Amanda Dreyfus and Sarah Orisich stood out from the press box and Roberts had positive things to say about both.
"Amanda Dreyfus has matured every game she's been in and Sarah is just 100 percent effort," he said.
Roberts and his staff changed tactics for the match, placing an extra forward in the lineup rather than starting with the typical four-defender setup.
"It was obviously a must win game and we had to put more players in a position to attack," Roberts said. "The players were open to the changes and they produced and were successful with it today."
"We were at the point in our season where we knew we had to win," said senior forward Missy Gordon. "We had to put three in the back and just go for it. We just started the system but it worked out well."
The change in strategy yielded 22 shots but the Cardinals simply couldn't convert on them – a common thread through most of the season.
"We had numerous chances, but we need them to be more of a threat," Roberts said, stressing the fact the Cardinals shots weren't always high percentage looks.
The Cardinals set the aggressive tone from the opening kick, as senior Jacki Eft stole the first pass and immediately dribbled down the middle of the field and fired a shot just off target. The shot served as a warning that the match was going to be a fight, literally and figuratively, with physical play a staple of the match throughout.
Eft, who had battled injuries all season, provided a spark when she was on the field before limping off in the second half. Gordon, another senior, was aggressive and provided vocal leadership while playing nearly all game.
Sophomores Abby Milillo and Paige Stroinski both worked on the offensive end all game, with Stroinski displaying her trademark physicality while winning many 50-50 balls.
With two games remaining against conference leaders Central Michigan and Toledo, coach Roberts and the Cardinals are looking for a couple of upsets to finish the season on a positive note before taking steps towards what Roberts thinks is a bright future.
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