The Eagles sent the Bengals on a quiet, long ride home.

Ashland University’s women’s soccer team remains the only undefeated team in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 3-0 record after beating Maine-Fort Kent 2-1.

“I am so excited and I’m so proud of us [for remaining undefeated],” said sophomore Carson Janssen. “Especially since we are such a young team; it’s such a good feeling.”

Only 1:50 into the first half, Janssen found the back of the net after sophomore Kelsey McKernan crossed the ball at the top of the box, giving the Eagles an early head start.

“Kelsey did a great job of shaking loose and Carson did a fantastic job of putting herself in great position,” said head coach Danny Krispinsky. “[Carson] remained calm when the ball arrived to her in that spot and she did a nice job of tucking it away.” 

But after the early goal, neither team could find the back of the net for the rest of the half. The Eagles recorded nine more shots on goal and the Bengals only had four. 

Even though the Eagles couldn’t find the back of the net, their technicality on offense and defense enabled them to maintain possession for the majority of the half.

“That’s something we pride ourselves on is being a very technical team,” said Krispinsky. “Our style of play is to be able to knock the ball around and to find the gaps in the defense that show up during our movement and our passing.”

Janssen noted that communication has played a significant role in their technicality and success on the field thus far.

“Strong communication is something we definitely push, especially being a young team,” she said. “Communication is key and I think we’re doing a great job so far.” 

In the beginning of the second half, McKernan drove down midfield and netted an unassisted goal in the upper corner to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. 

After McKernan’s goal, the Bengals  tried to steal the spotlight. With only 2:59 remaining in the game, Brianna Mills took advantage of an Eagle foul and snuck the ball in the upper corner, allowing the Bengals to get on the scoreboard.

But that didn’t break down the Eagles as they battled the last few minutes and closed the game with a win.

“It was a little disappointing that we gave up the shutout in the last few minutes,” said Krispinsky. “But I think this game showed that we’re taking another step forward.” 

Being such a young team, Krispinsky and the team agrees that there’s still a lot of room for growing and improvements.

“We have a great group of girls and they are committed to getting better,” said Krispinsky. 

 “We all know, and the coaches know, the overall expectations for ourselves,” said Janssen. “We’re not quite at the speed of play and type of play that we need to be at but we’re getting there. We’re doing great right now, but I think we all know deep down that we have more in ourselves.” 

The Eagles will head north to take on the Michigan Tech Huskies on Sept. 18 at 5 p.m.