The Ashland University women’s soccer team has continued its hot play into a new week as the Eagles waltzed into Ferguson Field and knocked down the Walsh Cavaliers in a dominating 4-0 affair.
Heading into the contest between the two sides, both teams were undefeated in conference play. With only one team walking away with an undefeated record, the outing showcased aggression in each nook and cranny of the field.
In the first half of play, the Eagles and Cavaliers battled back and forth at midfield. Through the opening five minutes, the Cavaliers controlled possession on the Eagles’ side of the field.
However, after the opening few attempts sputtered out for the Cavaliers, the Eagles started to heat up.
Through the next 30 minutes of play, they would produce six shots, with three on goal and five corner kicks. While nothing would highlight the scoreboard from those opportunities, the Eagles did not back down.
Finally, in the 36th minute, the Eagles would find the opening score.
Eagle forward McKinley Mendenhall took the teams sixth corner kick of the contest, delivering it deep inside the box. After bouncing off multiple different players, the ball ended up at the foot of midfielder Merrik Mihalek who took a shot that was blocked at the goal line by a Cavalier defender.
However, the ball was not cleared far enough away and fell to freshman midfielder Clara Richardson who blasted it into the back netting, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Just moments later in the 38th minute, Richardson would slot a ball across the face of the goal to forward Peyton Starner who cleanly slotted the ball into the goal, pushing the lead to two.
Although they quickly went up two scores, the Eagles continued to put the pressure on offensively as defender Kali Funk stole the ball away from the Cavaliers at the midfield and dashed towards the goal. From behind, Cavalier defender Ally Stein crushed Funk to the deck just inside the box, leading to a penalty kick in favor of the Eagles.
The Eagles would opt to give the ball to junior midfielder Avery Rosso, who buried the ball into the net.
Heading into halftime the Eagles led 3-0 over the undefeated Cavaliers, with full momentum in the Eagles favor.
In the second half, the storyline would remain the same as the Eagles dominated from start to finish, recording eight shots and seven corners. They would find a fourth and final goal in the 65th minute from the foot of forward Allison King off another penalty kick, this time from a Cavalier handball inside the box.
Through the remaining 25 minutes the Eagles kept the same pace of play they displayed through the contest, with substitutions Vanessa Menchofer and Peyton Starner being involved in a variety of offensive attacks.
The Eagles were led by Richardson, Rosso, Starner and King who scored the four goals for the team. They were also led by Richardson and Mihalek who added on an assist apiece. Goalkeeper Mackenzie Simon recorded her seventh clean sheet of the season while allowing just one goal.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 7-0-1 on the season and 3-0-1 in conference play, while the Cavaliers fall to 5-1-1 and 3-1 in conference play. The win for the Eagles also marked a five game shutout stand to go alongside a 16-0 scoring streak.
The Eagles will look to take on the Cedarville University Yellow Jackets at home on Saturday, Sept. 30, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m.
