The Ashland University women’s soccer team does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon as they routed the Malone Pioneers 3-0 to kickoff Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) play.
On Saturday, Sept. 16, the Pioneers and Eagles battled one another in Canton, Ohio, where the two sides were scoreless in the first half of play before a barrage of shots broke down the Pioneer defense in the second.
In the first half of play, the two sides showcased a fairly even matchup. Little was done in either team’s final third, with a majority of the possession occurring in the midfield. The first half saw two shots from the Eagles and one from the Pioneers.
Alongside little offensive production, the aggression was also limited as a total of six fouls were called, with four going against the Eagles.
However, while the first half went back and forth, the second half would be a complete flip of the storyline.
In the first 10 minutes of half number two, the Eagles would find the go-ahead goal at the foot of sophomore forward Dani Hicks. Hicks, who had two goals going into the outing, found her third off of a clean distribution from midfielder Merrik Mihalek for her second assist on the season.
The goal would instantly propel the Eagles to further success as just 15 minutes later in the 69th minute they would find a second.
As they continued to take shots and push the pace of play, transfer forward Allison King found her first goal with the Eagles as she was assisted by Hicks. The Eagles would lead 2-0 heading into the final 20 minutes of the outing.
With the Pioneers sputtering, the Eagles capitalized on the lackluster defending and put a third on the board as Merrik Mihalek found the back of the net unassisted.
The Eagles would finish out the contest with a 3-0 win.
Alongside the incredible display from the offense, goalkeeper Mackenzie Simon found her fourth clean sheet of the season to go with two saves.
The win improved the Eagles record to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play on the season as they look to take on the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans in their next outing. The two teams will play in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 21, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
