BLOOMINGTON, IND. – Ball State field hockey fell to the Indiana Hoosiers in a 2-0 contest in what is the Cardinals second time being shutout this season. The Cardinals were fresh off of their first win of the season against Saint Louis on Wednesday (3-2 OT).
Meanwhile, Indiana was also looking for its second win of the season after beating fellow Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponent Kent State (3-1) just a few weeks ago. It was the first time the two teams had met since last year when Ball State took down the Hoosiers (3-2) in penalty shootouts.
Both teams were on it defensively in the first period. Ball State only had one shot attempt for the period, meanwhile, and was able to limit Indiana to not have a single shot in the period. The Cardinals had two penalty corners in the quarter as well but were unsuccessful in both of them.
The second period saw Indiana ramp up its offensive attack getting nine shot attempts, but were being unable to capitalize on any of them. Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Hannah Johnston racked up four saves in the first half, but Ball State did not get within striking distance during the second period.
Despite being tied with Indiana with no goals being scored, Indiana answered with the first goal of the game in the third with graduate student Sydney Keld ripping the ball into the back of the cage off of a penalty corner. Despite the Hoosiers getting on the board, Johnston still managed to tally up four saves in the third quarter.
Four minutes into the fourth period, Indiana struck again with a goal from senior midfielder Maggie Carter to go up a pair of goals heading into the final moments of the game. Hannah Johnston had five more saves in the period for the Cardinals, finishing the day with thirteen saves. Ball State got into the striking circle for a shot attempt two times in this period but came up short in both.
The defeat drops the Cardinals to 1-3 on the season, and puts them at 2-11 against Big Ten opponents since 2021. Indiana is now 9-1 against Ball State in its last 10 matchups dating back to 2013.
Ball State opens its season of #MACtion on the road against Kent State Friday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m.