Sports
Ohio Soccer shut out in loss against Ball State
By: Evan Johnson
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Ohio Soccer (3-6-4, 1-2-3 MAC) returned to Chessa Field to take on the Ball State Cardinals (5-4-2, 2-2-1 MAC). After a scoreless first half, Ball State’s Addie Chester scored two goals in the second to give the Cardinals a 2-0 win.
Ohio came into the match desperate for another conference win after drawing in three of its last four games. The Bobcats have had recent success against Ball State, winning the previous two matches.
The pressure started early, and Ohio came out attacking and fired several early shots but could not get anything in the net. There was a constant change in possession, with neither team able to control the tempo.
The Bobcats kept pestering Ball State goalkeeper Kate Pallante, who was making just her second start of the season. Despite eight first-half shots, the game was still knotted up at zero after the first 45 minutes of play.
In the second half, Ball State made its presence known immediately as its star forward, Addie Chester, scored her seventh goal of the season in the 48th minute.
From there, the Cardinals had all the momentum; they were consistently controlling possession of the ball. Ohio had opportunities to tie the game with several close shots from Ella Devers, who led the team with four shots.
Ball State was able to add some late insurance with another goal by Chester. The shot went off the right post and banked it in to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. Chester now leads the MAC with eight goals.
“Great player. Just very aggressive, very dynamic. Willing to take the risk and then to the finish,” said head coach Aaron Rodgers.
It was just the second time all season that the Bobcats had given up more than one goal. The last was against Marshall on August 24.
As the time dwindled, Ohio ramped up the intensity, trying to find any spark on offense. After several unsuccessful corner kicks, Ball State was able to run out the clock for its second conference win and first win in Athens since 2022.
The Bobcats still notched their season high in shots, as they outshot Ball State 18-8.
“We’ve got to have some people just really take a risk and take that chance and responsibility to put the ball in the back of the net”, Rodgers said on his team’s offense. “We just haven’t quite found that in the last few games.”
Ohio has now gone five straight MAC games without a win and will have a chance to bounce back when they travel to Kent State on October 9.
Ball State will look to keep the momentum rolling against Western Michigan on October 5.