The Ball State soccer team closed out the regular season with a 2-1 victory on the road against Central Michigan on Thursday. The Cardinals were led by Lexi Fraley and Delaney Caldwell as each scored a goal.
Ball State finished the Mid-American Conference regular season without a road loss, which was the first time under Head Coach Josh Rife. This marks the third time in BSU history that the Cardinals did not lose a road contest.
"Great performance from the team today," said Coach Rife. "This group has been resilient all year and blocked out a lot of noise about what they weren't going to do this year. To go and earn a first-round bye in an incredibly difficult conference is quite an achievement. The focus now shifts towards the MAC tournament."
The Cardinals end the regular season 7-4-7 overall and 6-1-4 in conference play, while the Chippewas fell to 2-11-5 overall and 1-6-4 in the MAC.
Fraley took a pass and made a great play to flick the ball around the defender to setup a 1-on-1 situation with the keeper. Fraley flicked it over the keeper and tapped it in the empty net just five minutes into the match.
The Cardinals notched six shots on goal in the first half and held the Chippewas to three shots on goal. Bethany Moser made three saves.
Ball State kept the pressure on to start the second half. In the 52nd minute, the Cardinals recorded multiple shots inside the box that were either blocked or saved. Caldwell collected the rebound and buried it into the back of the net to put BSU on top 2-0.
Maggie Basse put the Chippewas on the scoreboard in the 81st minute and made the final score 2-1 in favor of the Cardinals.
Moser ended the match with four saves. The Cardinal defense held the Chippewas to six shots for the match. Caldwell collected her seventh goal of the season and has 15 points. Fraley recorded her fifth goal of the year and has 12 points.
Ball State awaits the winner of the No. 6 seed Western Michigan and No. 3 Bowling Green match on Thursday, Nov. 3. The Cardinals' match is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. first touch in Buffalo, New York.
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