Cardinals Soar Over Bulls

If you don't score, you can't win.

Friday night the UB women's soccer team learned this lesson the hard way.

Bringing in a tough, scrappy defense did not do the Bulls any good, as they were shut out by the Ball State Cardinals.

The regionally ranked Ball State team brought not only their defensive toughness to the game, but their high powered offense proved effective, giving them the boost they needed to beat the Bulls 2-0.

The Bulls defense, led by senior goalkeeper Anna-Lesa Calvert has played well so far this season, but gave up 11 shots on Friday night, forcing Calvert to make seven tough saves.

The Cardinals flew ahead early in the game on the wings of a Dee Nocero strike in the fifteenth minute of play. Ball State's top gun, senior Kate Nadalin, assisted on the goal, along with freshman Laura Bandy.

Ball State senior Lindsay Wiltshire scored her third goal early in the second half giving the Cardinals an insurance goal that hurt the Bulls' chances of building a comeback.

"This was a great win," stated Ball State head coach Ron Rainey in a press release. "This was the most complete offensive and defensive effort we have had this season. We took away some of their scoring chances and that was a huge part in our win today."

The Bulls managed to only produce eight shots on the day, forcing the sophomore Cardinal goalie Alison Becker to make only three saves to post her fourth shutout of the season.

The loss to Ball State pushes the Bulls to 3-6-0 on the season and 2-2-0 in the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals bumped their record to 5-1-3 overall, obtaining their first victory in the MAC, and bringing their overall record to 1-1-3.

A bright spot for the Bulls was manufacturing six corner kicks while the opposition only had three opportunities from the corner flag. Taking shots for the Bulls were senior Arielle Korczykowski, senior Jenny Dannecker, and junior Natlia Crofut, who each tallied two strikes.

Dannecker is currently UB's offensive leader with a team-high seven points, and 14 shots on goal. Dannecker is followed closely by freshman Kathleen Fage who has six points for the Bulls.

The Bulls have laced up their boots against some tough teams this year. After starting the season with two disappointing losses, first to St. Bonaventure, and then in double-overtime fashion to a powerful Syracuse team, the Bulls have racked up victories against Canisius, Akron, and Central Michigan.

Buffalo will attempt to find their scoring touch when they round out their current road trip with trips to Niagara University, Kent State, Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois before returning home to battle the Toledo Rockets at RAC Field on Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.