MUNCIE, Ind. – Despite a weather delay that set the start of the match back 90 minutes, the Ball State soccer team got goals from Grace Alsop and Tatiana Hawkins-Dabney to stay perfect on the year and defeat Loyola, 2-1, Sunday at Briner Sports Complex.

The win pushed Ball State's record to 4-0-0 in 2019 while Loyola dropped to 1-3-0. BSU extended its program-record unbeaten streak to 15 matches and won its fourth straight contest.
 
"Our overall performance was great," said Ball State head coach Josh Rife. "We did some different things today that we haven't done to this point in the season, so credit to the girls for implementing those. As coaches we failed to make some adjustments late today, but from a player's perspective our girls just continue to get after it and get results. They just keep finding a way to win."
 
The Cardinals scored their first goal of the day in the 26th minute when Emily Simmons sent a free kick into the box and Alsop headed it left into the back of the net. Alsop's fourth goal on the year gave BSU a 1-0 lead going into the halftime break.
 
Midway through the second half, Ball State struck again when Hawkins-Dabney beat the keeper high off assists from Nicky Potts and Alsop to put the Cardinals up 2-0. The 67th minute goal was again off a Simmons free kick and was Hawkins-Dabney's third of the year. It also proved to be the game winner, her second of the week.

The Ramblers made things interesting when Nemec Loy scored in the 87th minute to pull Loyola within a goal, but the Cardinal defense fought off the Loyola attack the remainder of the contest to secure the victory.
 
Loyola outshot Ball State 15-10 on the night, but Tristin Stuteville recorded seven saves to stay undefeated on the year. The Cardinal offense produced two corner kicks for the game.
 
After four home games to open the year, Ball State now prepares to hit the road for the first time. The Cardinals will travel to Nebraska on Friday, September 6, to take on Omaha for their first and only contest outside the Eastern time zone. Kick is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET.
 
For all the latest on Ball State soccer, follow @BallStateSoccer on social media and visit BallStateSports.com.  

 

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – The Ohio soccer team (4-0-0) continued its hot start to the 2019 season, defeating Marshall (1-3-0), 4-1, Sunday afternoon (Sept. 1) at Hoops Family Field. 

"Marshall is always a tough place to play and we historically have not done well there," head coach Aaron Rodgers said. "Our entire group has been so focused on how we want to play and how we want to work for each other. It was a tough game for us but our best qualities really showed well today. Excited to have a week to prepare for SIU."

The Bobcats opened the game firing, with sophomore Abby Townsend(Powell, Ohio) recording the first shot of the game in the second minute. Moments later, senior Sydney Leckie (Medina, Ohio) would record a shot off a corner kick that went wide of the net. Within moments, Leckie recorded her second shot of the game, however, this ball also went wide of the net, keeping the game at 0-0 early on. 

The Bobcats continued to put pressure on the Marshall defense with Townsend, junior Sarina Dirrig (Powell, Ohio) and junior Paige Knorr(Cincinnati, Ohio) all recording attempts that went high of the net. In the 10th minute, Knorr registered another shot, however, this one also went wide of the net.  Townsend recorded another attempt in the 17th minute, this one forcing the Marshall keeper to make the save to keep the game scoreless. 

After Dirrig recorded a shot in the 23rd minute that forced another save, the Bobcats pressure finally paid off in the 27th minute, when freshman Olivia Darrow (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), who entered the game just two minutes prior, scored unassisted giving Ohio a 1-0 lead. It was Darrow's first career goal. 

Ohio did not let off the gas, with senior Alivia Milesky (Plain City, Ohio) firing a shot of her own at the net, forcing the Marshall keeper to make another save to keep it a one-goal game. 

After another shot by Leckie, Marshall got their first attempts of the game in the 39th minute, with the first shot forcing junior keeper Sydney Malham (Nashville, Tenn.) to make a save. Marshall got another shot off moments later, however it would go wide of the net, keeping Ohio's 1-0 lead. 

Neither team saw much action over the final five minutes of the half, sending the Bobcats to halftime with a 1-0 lead. 
Overall, the Bobcats dominated the first half, with one goal on 12 shots, with five on goal, while Marshall recorded two shots with one on goal. 

Marshall got the first attempt in the second half, however moments later, the Bobcats took a 2-0 lead in the 51stminute on an own goal from Marshall.

Marshall started to put pressure on the Bobcats, recording back-to-back attempts in the 54th and 55th minutes before finally striking in the 57th minute, cutting the Ohio lead to 2-1. 

The Bobcats started to push, with Dirrig recording a shot that forced the Marshall keeper to make a save before Milesky recorded a shot of her own that was blocked. 

The Bobcats struck moments later when Dirrig received the pass from Townsend, burying it in the back up the net, giving Ohio a 3-1 lead in the 63rd minute. 

Not a full minute later, Ohio struck again, this time Darrow scored off an assist from junior Jenni Santacaterina (Geneva, Ill.), giving Ohio a 4-1 lead.  

After the Darrow goal, neither team would see much offense, with the Bobcats successfully closing out the game, giving them the 4-1 victory. 

Overall, Ohio outshot Marshall 18-6, with Ohio putting 10 shots on goal compared to Marshall's four. 

Darrow finished the game with two goals on two shots, while Dirrig finished the game with one goal on four shots with three on goal. Townsend finished the game with one assist, three shots and one on goal. Knorr, Leckie, Milesky and Santacaterina all recorded two attempts. 

In net, Malham played all 90 minutes, allowing one goal and making two saves. 

The Bobcats return to action Sunday, Sept. 8 when Ohio hosts Southern Illinois, First touch is set for 1p.m .at Chessa Field. 

Western Michigan 1, Cincinnati 0
Boxscore
CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Western Michigan women's soccer team picked up its first win of the season after blanking Cincinnati, 1-0, on the road at Gettler Stadium on Sunday night.
 
The Broncos (1-2) struck early on a goal by Morgan Ottesonafter waiting 45 minutes to start the game due to a lightning delay. After the goal, WMU limited the Bearcats to just two chances on goal and both were stopped by junior goalkeeper Maggie Rogers. It was the first collegiate win for Rogers and the first collegiate coaching victory for interim head coach Sammy Boateng.
 
UC outshot the Broncos 11-5 overall, but WMU had a 3-2 advantages in shots on goal. Western Michigan also led in corner kicks, 7-4.
 
"This had the intensity of a conference game," said Boateng. "From the front to the back, it was a great team effort. Maggie did a great job communicating with everyone and Morgan did an awesome job pressing and showed great composure on her finish. Lydia Bajema played the whole 90 minutes and did all the dirty work in the midfield that not everyone always wants to do. We also had Grace Labadie and Hannah Kahn providing a lot of pressure on the wings. Our substitutes came in and played with the same intensity. It was a full team effort."
 
Otteson netted her second goal of the season in the 18th minute. She pressed Cincinnati's back line and forced a turnover before burying the shot into the net for the unassisted game-winning goal.

Thanks to the work of WMU's back line of Savannah Bosworth, Rachel Royer, Emily Dahl and Kai Sugiyama, Rogers had to make just one save in each half.
 
Western Michigan now heads out Colorado to play Colorado College at the Air Force Academy on Friday at 9 p.m. The Broncos then take on Air Force on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Cleveland State 1, Miami 0
Boxscore

OXFORD, Ohio – A spirited first half did not bear fruit for the Miami soccer team as a late goal proved the difference in a 1-0 setback against Cleveland State on Sunday.

The RedHawks (0-3) were playing their first match at the newly renovated Miami Soccer Field in the contest.

Miami held possession for large chunks of the opening frame, ending up with a 6-3 shot advantage that began at 6-1. Soph Spinell got MU off and running on the attack by getting free down the right side 10 minutes in, but Stevie Holbrook got her hands on the bid to keep it scoreless.

In the 28th minute of play, MU nearly got on the scoresheet when Elle Gillwas fed the ball in the middle for a quick kick, but her bid went off the post and stayed out. While the Vikings (2-1-1) did threaten once on a long-range blast that hit the crossbar, the teams remained scoreless at the half.

Possession became more even in the second half and chances became harder to come by. In the 66th minute, Lyda Bogdanovitch wired a loose ball from nearly 30 yards out that forced a leaping stop out of Holbrook.

As the contest wore on, the Vikings established some more possession in the attacking third and converted a corner kick in the 72nd minute when Essence Canady got her head on an Elena Gutlove service. Miami nearly answered a couple minutes later when the ball popped to Olivia Winnett just above the 18-yard box, but her left-footed blast went a few inches wide of the post to keep CSU in front.

Stormy conditions surrounded the field and immediate area with 6:56 left on the clock, causing an hour and a half delay. When the teams returned, Miami tried to press on the attack, but managed one more shot the rest of the way to fall 1-0 for the second-straight outing.

The RedHawks ended with a 10-8 shot advantage, but the Vikings drew seven of their eight corner kicks (8-2 overall) in the second half with their set piece contributing to the lone marker of the day. Izzie Vaccari made her first Miami start in net and stopped two shots.

Miami is on the road for its next three contests, beginning with a trip to Morehead State on Friday night at 6 p.m.

Morehead State 2, Akron 1
Boxscore
MOREHEAD, Ky. – The Akron women's soccer team scored the first goal of the contest at the four-minute mark and outshot Morehead State, 10-8, however, two unanswered goals by the Eagles handed MSU a 2-1 victory over the Zips in game four of non-conference play on Sunday afternoon. 
 
Akron raced out to an early lead just four minutes into the contest as senior Ashley Amato (Pittsburgh, Pa.) buried her second goal of the season off a header. Freshman Aislinn Meaney (Ennis, Ireland) lifted a cross into the box and found her teammate for the score, along with Meaney's first Akron assist. 
 
Morehead State netted the equalizer at the 33:17 mark of the first half. 
 
In the next ensuing 41 minutes of the first half, the Zips recorded five shots, two shots on goal, and a pair of corner kicks but failed to find the back of the net to regain the lead before the halftime break. 
 
Redshirt sophomore Charley Kale (Sylvania, Ohio) nearly gave the Zips a 2-1 advantage in the 15' of play but her attempt was pulled in for a save. 
 
Eleven minutes later, Meaney, who tallied two shots in the contest, garnered a shot on goal (25:50) but again would be denied by the Eagles keeper.
 
Akron posted the first three shots of the second half off the feet of sophomore Sydney Worthy (Groveport, Ohio) and junior Ryley Watt (Irwin, Pa.), along with a header by sophomore Hailey Clere (Oregon, Ohio). 
 
Despite the early second-half offense by the Zips, Morehead State pulled ahead on their first shot of the second stanza. Akron was called for a foul just outside of the box and the Eagles took advantage of a free kick for the score. 
 
From that point on, Akron would manage just one shot the rest of the match before ultimately falling to the Eagles. 
 
Week three for the Akron women's soccer team is slated for a third mix and match weekend of home and away soccer for the Zips. Akron begins the third weekend of non-conference play visiting Youngstown State on Friday, Sept. 6 before returning to FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 8 to host Xavier.

Louisville 5, Eastern Michigan 0
Boxscore
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Eastern Michigan University soccer team fell to the University of Louisville, 3-0, Sept. 1 at Lynn Stadium.

The Eagles (1-2-1) saw an early chance when a breakaway by Kristin Hullibarger (Brooklin, Ontario-Donald A. Wilson) led to a shot by Madeline Olson (Libertyville, Ill.-Libertyville) that went wide of the goal.

The Cardinals (4-0-0) proceeded to take the lead, wedging a shot between Mabel Dunn (Oakville, Ontario-White Oaks Secondary) and the left post. Louisville doubled their lead on a penalty kick in the 38th minute and took the 2-0 lead into the break.

Louisville tacked on three more goals before the final whistle and took the 5-0 win over the Eagles.

Dunn recorded seven saves in 83 minutes of play. Chelsea Abbotts (Ottawa, Ontario-Mother Theresa) made her collegiate debut and tallied one save on two shots for the Green and White.

Eastern Michigan returns to action Sunday, Sept. 8 at 1 p.m. in Omaha, Neb. against Creighton.