Tears flowed down the faces of Ball State soccer players, and some dropped to their knees in despair. It might just be a game, but the emotions are real.
Freshman defender Yela Zisweiler stepped up to the ball with Ball State soccer trailing Northern Illinois 4-3 in penalty kicks. Overtime ended with a 1-1 tie, forcing the shootout. Zisweiler needed to score to keep the game going. She ran up to the ball, launching it to the lower right corner of the goal, but Huskies goalkeeper MacKenzie Lee was ready for it. She dove to her left to block the kick. The Mid-American Conference regular season champions were eliminated -- again.
Last season, Ball State won the MAC regular season title, but lost to Akron in the first round of the tournament. The memory is still fresh in the team's mind.
One win is all that stands between Ball State women's soccer and its second consecutive Mid-American Conference regular season title.
KENT, Ohio — Freshman Ball State forward Sam Kambol sprinted towards the Kent State goal after corralling the ball near midfield.
The Cardinals' road trip this weekend is like none they have had so far this season. Saturday, Ball State soccer (12-2-2, 7-0-1 MAC) takes on Kent State (10-1-2, 6-0-2 MAC), the only other unbeaten team in the Mid-American Conference. The winner will be the favorite to win the MAC Regular Season Champion with just one game remaining. The Cardinals also face a 3-11-1 Ohio program (1-7 MAC) Thursday. While they cannot overlook the Bobcats, even with an upset loss the matchup with Kent State will determine which team is first in the MAC.
Leah Mattingly, Lorina White, Taylor Pooley and Yela Zisweiler. These four defenders should be noted on every team’s scouting report. After all, they've started on the back line in every Ball State soccer game this season, and the Cardinals are on top of the Mid-American Conference standings with a 7-0-1 record (12-2-2 overall), with just 10 goals allowed through 16 games.
In the 69th minute of Ball State soccer's win over Toledo, senior midfielder Gabby Veldman knocked in a cross from senior defender Lorina White to put the Cardinals ahead 2-0.
After a strong start to the season, the Ball State soccer team (10-2-2, 5-0-1 in MAC) only has five Mid-American Conference games left in the regular season. The Cardinals play Bowling Green (7-7, 2-4 in MAC) and Toledo (6-7-1, 1-4-1 in MAC) this week.
One game, two records. When Ball State soccer beat Northern Illinois 2-0 Sunday, senior defender Leah Mattingly broke the school record for minutes played and head coach Craig Roberts tied the Cardinals’ record with his 70th win with the program.
Ball State soccer head coach Craig Roberts doesn’t refer to his substitute players as "subs." He calls them game changers.
Defending conference champions. Ball State soccer is off to a 3-0-1 Mid-American Conference record (8-2-2 overall) start in its defense of its MAC regular season title, but on Oct. 6 they'll play Western Michigan, a team that takes exception to Ball State's title claim.
Ball State soccer returned home from Michigan still unbeaten in Mid-American Conference play.
Coming off of a four game win streak, the Ball State soccer team (7-2-1) heads on the road to Michigan this weekend to play conference opponents Eastern Michigan (2-6-2) and Central Michigan (9-1-0).
This weekend, Ball State football won on the road, women's volleyball and soccer each won two games at home, cross country won its lone home meet of the season and field hockey dropped two games on the road. Football With the first part of their season over, there have been a lot more positives than negatives for the Cardinals. Ball State won 31-27 at Florida Atlantic Sept.
Ball State managed to come out with a 1-0 victory against Akron, but Coach Craig Roberts has higher expectations and expected more out of his team. "I felt the girls on Friday played very well and i was very pleased, i think it was one of the most delivered, tactical games the girls have played and i thought they did exceptionally well today but we were very inconsistent," Roberts said "I did not feel we played anywhere near the full potential, players did not follow the game-plan.
Ball State midfielder Lauren Roll had a smile on her face as her teammates heckled her with "Roll sucks" chants. But her teammates know Roll doesn't suck, especially after her goal helped the Cardinals win their Mid-American Conference opener against Buffalo 1-0.
This weekend, football hits the road for its final non-conference game, while soccer, volleyball and field hockey each begin Mid-American Conference play.
Ball State soccer is about to start its bid to defend last season's regular-season Mid-American Conference title. After a 5-2-1 start to the season, The Cardinals open conference play against Buffalo (3-3-1) Friday. Head coach Craig Roberts said the MAC has improved in recent years. “I think the MAC continues to increase in ability level," he said.
