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THE BASICS
Score: Ohio 4, Ball State 2
Records: Ohio (4-4), Ball State (1-8)
Location: Muncie, Ind. (BSU Turf Field)
Short Story: Sophomore Maria Russell (Hudson, Ohio) achieved her first career hat trick to help propel the Ohio field hockey team (4-4) to a 4-2 victory over Mid-American Conference foe Ball State (1-8) in a non-conference match at BSU Turf Field on Saturday (Sept. 26) in Muncie, Ind.

HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Bobcats controlled play throughout, holding the advantage in shots (18-10) and penalty corners (12-5).
• Ohio set the tone in the first 35 minutes of playing, posting a decisive edge in shots (12-2) and penalty corners (10-2).
• Russell got her scoring parade started in the 21st minute, scoring off of a penalty corner after senior Clarissa Leickly (Gahanna, Ohio) provided an assist.
• The Cardinals retaliated three minutes later, tying the match at one-all on a goal by senior back Natalie Jardell on a penalty corner -- her second of the season. Junior back Bryce Barnes and senior forward/midfielder Bethany Han assisted on the score. It was the third assist of the year for Barnes.
• Russell struck again in the 28th minute, putting the Bobcats back in front, 2-1, on a goal off of a penalty corner. Sophomore Elena Curley (Louisville, Ky.) provided the assist.
• Russell made it a hat trick in the 45th minute when she notched an unassisted goal, upping her season total to a team-high eight to achieve a new career high.
• Freshman Emma Eggleston (Houston, Texas) made it 4-1 in favor of the Bobcats when she scored her second career goal in the 54th minute, with Curley providing another assist.
• Ball State junior Mikayla Mooney made the score final when she scored in the 57th minute on a penalty corner. Han recorded her second assist of the match and third of the year.
• In addition to her hat trick, Russell led the match with a career-high six shots. Her season shots total now stands at 15 -- tied for third on the team -- and her nine shots on goal rank third on the team. Russell leads the team with a career-high 17 points on the season.
• Leickly notched her fourth assist of the year, which ranks second on the team. She also posted four shots -- including two on goal. Leickly leads the Bobcats with 20 shots -- including 14 on goal.
• Curley tallied her first two career assists.
• Senior Adele Sammons (Upmister, England) and freshman Kendall Ballard (Charlottesville, Va.) also tallied two shots, with both of Sammons' coming on goal and one of Ballard's doing the same. Sammons ranks second on the team with 16 shots -- including 11 on goal -- while Ballard has now posted eight shots -- including seven on goal.
• Redshirt junior goalkeeper Lina Trucco (Lake Bluff, Ill.) finished the match with four saves in 70 minutes, upping her season total to a career-high 38 stops.
• Redshirt senior midfielder Bianca Velez led the Cardinals with two shots, bringing her season total to six.
• Ball State junior goalkeeper Jordan Dues finished with seven saves in 70 minutes. She's now tallied 51 stops on the year.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
• The Bobcats now lead the all-time series over the Cardinals, 35-34 (.507). Ohio has claimed 31 of the last 33 meetings between the two squads.
• Russell has now tallied 10 career goals. Her career shots total is now up to 24, with 15 coming on goal.
• Leickly's career assist total now stands at five. She's also tallied 32 career shots -- including 20 on goal.
• Trucco's career saves total is now up to 47.

QUOTABLE
"We started the game really well. The first half was a pretty one-sided affair, in terms of statistics. I thought Ball State did a good job staying in the game at 2-1. We were a little unlucky enough that we could have had a couple of other goals, but we did a really good job overall. Second half, we were put under a lot of pressure by Ball State. They fought their way a little bit back into it, but while doing that, it also left us plenty of space to operate at their end of the field. That led to well-executed fastbreak." - 11th-year head coach Neil Macmillan on the win

"She's just finding a way to put the ball into the back of the net right now. She did a great job off of a couple of corners. We've started using her skills around the edge of the goal to finish there. Along with the couple goals she scored off corners, she had a great individual effort with a really well-taken goal. She did a great job beating the keeper nice and early." - Macmillan on play of sophomore Maria Russell

"She was outstanding today. The goal that Emma scored, Curley ran 50 or 60 yards with the ball and dished off perfectly for an easy goal for Emma. It was just a really well-taken goal, but it was set up by the individual play of Curley. She was just everywhere today. She had great opportunities to set up her teammates, and she did that exceptionally well." - Macmillan on play of sophomore Elena Curley

"Our corners were definitely on today with that right side where I stand. We had very good passing, and we really connected on the field today." - Sophomore Maria Russell on her hat trick

UP NEXT
Ohio is scheduled to play a pair matches in Michigan next weekend, opening MAC play at rival Central Michigan on Friday (Oct. 2) in Mount Pleasant, Mich., before traveling to East Lansing, Mich., for a neutral-site contest with Rutgers on Saturday (Oct. 3).

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