Oct. 8, 2010
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Miami University women's soccer team jumped out to a first-half lead and never trailed again as the RedHawks received strong goalkeeping to help defeat Ball State, 3-1, Friday afternoon at BSU Soccer Field. With the win, Miami (10-3-1, 3-1-1 Mid-American Conference) remained in control of first place in the MAC East Division while preventing the Cardinals (6-7-0, 0-5-0 MAC) from picking up their first league win.
A relatively even first half saw the `Hawks strike first as senior Brooke Livingston (Lisle, Ill.) headed home a corner kick into the top corner of the goal off the foot of freshman Sam Whitmore (Cincinnati, Ohio) in the 35th minute to put Miami up, 1-0. All three of Livingston's goals in 2010 have come off headed-in corner kicks.
Neither side would find the net again in the period despite the RedHawks holding a 6-4 edge in shots, while redshirt freshman Kris Gasparovic (Rochester, Mich.) made three stops to keep Miami on top. The Red and White also earned three corners in the first 45 minutes, capitalizing on one, while BSU earned just one.
Ball State came out firing in the second half, blasting three shots in the first five minutes but Miami was able to defend them well. Junior Giselle Mangal (Mississauga, Ont.) then upped the RedHawk advantage to 2-0 after taking a feed from classmate Courtney Clarke (Scarborough, Ont.) and getting behind the defense for a breakaway. She beat Cardinal keeper Aubrey Buehler one-on-one for her fourth tally of the season at the 66:31 mark.
Mangal's tally set off a scoring burst as all three goals in the second half were scored within a two-minute window. BSU answered right back just over a minute later as Tina Vannatta scored her first goal of 2010 on a blast from well outside the 18-yard box that beat Gasparovic. Kelsey Shapiro picked up the assist on the score that cut Miami's lead in half.
Not to be outdone, less than 30 second later in the 69th minute, freshman Dani Fraelick (Glenview, Ill.) buried a cross from fellow freshman Sam Parrish (Noblesville, Ind.) inside the six-yard box to again put the `Hawks up two at 3-1. It was Fraelick's second tally of the year and Parrish's first collegiate point.
Gasparovic finished with six saves in the half, including four in the final three minutes, to fend off a late BSU rally and help secure the win for the RedHawks. She finished with nine saves in the match while Buehler and Layne Schramm combined to stop three shots. Ball State used a 12-5 shot advantage in the second half to finish with a 16-11 edge overall in shots, including 10-7 in shots on goal. The hosts also held a slight, 4-3, margin in corners.
Miami remains on the road this weekend as it travels to Toledo Sunday for a 1 p.m. match with the MAC West Division leader.
--MURedHawks.com--
