The No. 16 nationally ranked Ashland University women’s soccer team paid host to the No. 4 Ferris State Bulldogs at home on Sunday, Sept. 10.
In the outing, the two sides looked like heavyweights in a main event as they fought back and forth in hopes of defending their respective undefeated records. When all was said and done, the Eagles pulled off a 3-0 victory.
“I thought last year we had one of the toughest non-conference schedules in program history,” said Head Coach Cayleb Paulino. “This fall, our first four games have been even tougher.”
The game against the Bulldogs would be the team’s final non-conference outing in the regular season.
To start the contest, both teams exchanged offensive possessions as they looked to find the opening goal. A majority of the play resided in the midfield as they battled back and forth, with the Eagles finding the opening goal as the first half hit its halfway mark.
In the 28th minute, freshman Clara Richardson found an opportunity to strike, and that she did. With the ball just on the edge of the box, she placed the ball onto her right foot and struck it, delivering a missile into the top crossbar before the ball dropped into the bottom right corner of the goal.
The Eagles started building momentum but the No. 4 Bulldogs were not going to go down easily.
The Bulldogs continued to play aggressively and put pressure on the Eagles’ back line, but they continued to hold strong. Through the remainder of the first half the two sides would fight in the midfield as just six total shots would be taken, three from either side.
The Eagles had another opportunity arise with a free kick just outside of the box, but the ball would be cleared away by the Bulldogs as they headed into halftime down a score.
In the second half of play, a shift would occur from the physicality level as the two sides routinely were called for fouls. To finish the final 45 minutes of play, 10 total fouls would be called, five each.
The next goal would occur in the 63rd minute as the Bulldogs defense folded on a free kick.
After a foul occurred against midfielder Merrik Mihalek, she loaded up her right leg and delivered a cross inside the box. The ball bounced right off the Bulldog goalkeeper’s hands and to the foot of Eagle defender Hope Evans who drilled the ball with her left leg into the back netting. The goal would give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
Just seven minutes later the Eagles found another goal, this time from a penalty kick. Forward McKinley Mendenhall took just one shot, coming off that penalty kick, and knocked it into the back netting for a 3-0 lead.
The Eagles would go on to finish the contest with a clean sheet and a win over the No. 4 team in the country. They improve to 4-0 on the season while the Bulldogs fall to 2-1-1.
With the win, they now look to Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) play as they take on the Malone Pioneers on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. on the road.
