It took Ball State nearly every second of regulation time to beat Akron, but only six minutes to pull off the comeback.
For 70 minutes, the Cardinals played seemingly uninspired soccer. Their lack of energy was apparent on the field.
In the 22nd minute, Ball State's junior co-captain Skylar Chew whiffed on a trap attempt in the box and senior defender Kara Cooper jumped on the loose ball and put Akron up 1-0.
Even after conceding the goal, Ball State seemed content to sit back and let Akron pass the ball around in the first half and much of the second.
But something changed with 20 minutes to go. Coaches started yelling louder. Players started competing harder.
"I think Akron plays at a different pace and it took us a little too long to adjust to that," freshman midfielder Becca Sutton said. "We finally did and once we got into our groove, with the pace, we showed we could beat them."
Hustle plays got Ball State back in the game. At the 80 minute mark, junior co-captain Brigit Reder flicked on a cross from junior forward Paige Stroinski to the back post. Sutton beat her defender to the ball and headed it into the back of the net.
"I just saw the ball coming over the top and I just got in front of the girl," Sutton said. "We actually watched some film where you can see their defender marks you from the back when the ball comes over the top. I just took advantage of that and jumped in front of her."
Immediately after the goal, the tone of the game changed. Sutton said she thought Akron was a little shell shocked by the sudden pressure.
"They [Akron] kind of expected us to just fall back after they scored," Sutton said. "But we were persistent and kept going after them and I think it did scare them. We started to find their weaknesses a lot."
Ball State played one-dimensional offense for much of the first half. The team tried to send ball after ball over the top to try and beat Akron's defense, but to no avail. Coach Craig Roberts said a scheme change finally allowed Ball State to attack those weaknesses and score.
"I think we had to change tactically within the game," Roberts said. "We had to throw in three people and even four at the top to get that width and penetration. Akron sat back on us in the second half. We are always capable of scoring goals and I think they got punished with that."
"We aren't a team you can sit back on and try and hold out. "
The strategy paid off. Five minutes after Sutton's goal, freshman forward Jasmine Moses gathered another loose ball in the box and put the Cardinals up for good.
The 2-1 victory improved Ball State's record to 4-1 in the Mid-American Conference (9-4-1 overall). Roberts said this team says a lot about his team and the lengths they go to win games.
"Some of the things you're going to have to show to be top contender is character," Roberts said. "I felt this game really challenged us on the character front. We never gave up to the last minute. The performance we put in was well deserved."
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