Ball State women's soccer coach Craig Roberts announced the team's 20-game schedule for the 2011-2012 season Monday afternoon.
The schedule consists of nine non-conference games and 11 Mid-American Conference match-ups. The team will play eight regular season games at the new Briner Sports Complex.
Big Ten opponent and 2010 NCAA participant Illinois headlines the non-conference schedule while 2010 MAC Tournament champion Central Michigan is the headliner for the conference schedule.
The team will play in two in-season tournaments. The first is the Western Kentucky Tournament on Aug. 19 through Aug. 21. The second tournament is in Flagstaff, Ariz. for the Northern Arizona Tournament Sept. 9 through Sept. 11.
Roberts said despite playing two teams that competed in the NCAA tournament last year, each team on the schedule brings its own challenges.
"I think each one brings a novelty to the challenge," Roberts said. "I wouldn't say there's any particular game that we're looking for. Each opponent we will be playing will bring a different challenge to us and we're looking forward to all the differences between the teams we're playing."
Following its regular season schedule, Ball State hopes to be playing in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals, which will be held Oct. 30.
During its 2010 season, Ball State finished at the bottom of the MAC West with a 1-8-2 record. The Cardinals were near the bottom of the conference in points, goals, and goals against.
The addition of 2011 Kansas Player of the Year Hannah Chadick and Pavla Benyrova should give Ball State much needed scoring and defense. Chadick led Blue Valley Northwest to a 13-3 overall record last season and had 15 goals in the 16 games. Benyrova has played for the Czech Republic National Team for the past three years and has experience playing for the Czech Republic U-19 team.
Roberts said the addition of players like Chadick and Benyrova will add talent and more competitiveness to the team.
"With the added talent we're bringing in this year, I think it's just going to complement what we have already," Roberts said. "We have a lot of talent with the girls that are currently on the team, and they are pretty enthusiastic about what they can bring to the table. I think we're just going to have an even more competitive cauldron than what we had last season, and when you have that much competitiveness, you raise standards."
Ball State will begin its regular season in Bowling Green, Ky., when they play Murray State on Friday, Aug. 19 at 5 p.m.
Read More
Capturing The County - Episode 19
By Zach Carter and Adam Altobella / 7 hours agoIn this episode, Zach and Adam discuss the future of the Ball State Daily News and recap the Delaware County sports action from the school year.
Cardinals chase Mid-American Conference crown at 2024 men's golf MAC Championships
By Nick Shelton / 18 hours agoHeading one hour west to Westfield, Indiana, Ball State will have a chance to redeem last season’s runner-ups with a MAC title. The Cardinals will tee off April 26 to begin their three-day event at Chatham Hills.
Ball State baseball ties with Indiana Hoosiers in extra-inning thriller
By Nick Shelton / YesterdayThe game, which was forced into extra innings following a late-game collapse by the Cardinals, ended in Ball State tying the Hoosiers 7-7. The game was called due to darkness to give the Cardinals their first tie game of the season.
