As we reach the midpoint of the Fall athletics season, many Ball State teams were in action this weekend rounding out non-conference play. Here's what you missed.
Friday
- Cross Country had a strong showing at the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, Michigan taking fourth place out of 21 teams. Junior Cayla Eckenroth led the way for the Cardinals finishing in 23 place with a time of 23:02.
- Soccer returned home for the first time since mid-august to take on Omaha. The game remained close throughout, but it was late goals from freshman Tatiana Mason and senior Paula Guerrero that would lift the Cardinals over the Mavericks, 3-1.
“I wasn’t happy with conceding the first goal, but I’m proud of the resilience the girls showed in the second half and not giving up after a tough first period,” Head coach Craig Roberts said. “I want to see us work on more clinical offensive strategies and being better defensively as the season goes on.”
- Women’s Volleyball opened up their weekend at the Tiger Invite in Towson, Maryland taking on UMBC. Coming down to the wire, the Cardinals were able to overpower the Retrievers in the fifth set winning the match, 3-2.
“Our ability to maintain focus throughout five sets has a lot to do with our team being older and experienced,” Head coach Kelli Miller said. “We don’t let one set or one point rock us too much. We kept fighting and came up when we needed it.”
Saturday
- Nearing the end of their non-conference schedule, Football took the short trip down to Bloomington, Indiana to take on Indiana. While the score was close in the first quarter, the Hoosiers would take off from the second quarter on, highlighted by a 87-yard punt return for a touchdown, handing the Cardinals a 38-10 loss.
“It’s a disappointing day for us,” Head coach Mike Neu said. “That’s not Ball State football. Credit IU for playing a great game, but for us, after having a good week of practice, we did not execute the way we are capable of.”
- Field Hockey opened up their conference schedule against Miami (OH) at Briner Complex. The RedHawks would shut out the Cardinals, 4-0, and would hand the team it’s seventh straight loss of the season. The Cardinals remain winless on the season.
“Obviously we wanted to secure a MAC win on our home turf, so it’s disappointing,” Head coach Stephanie Bernthal said. “People stepped up, covered for each other. We really had a strong defensive effort. We have to convert on the attacking side of the ball, we will continue to work on that.”
- Women’s Volleyball wrapped up the Tiger invite facing Towson and LaSalle. The Cardinals were on fire as they would sweep both teams to finish the tournament undefeated.
“We showed a lot of physical and mental toughness this week,” Head coach Kelli Miller said. “Four matches in one week is a lot to take on, and though we started yesterday a little flat, we came back today focused and on a mission.”
Contact Jack Williams with any comments at jgwilliams@bsu.edu or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.
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