The No. 13-ranked Eagles topped Findlay 3-0, on Nov. 15 at Ferguson Field to earn their fourth Great Midwest tourney title in their fifth straight championship game appearance.

Head Coach Cayleb Paulino did not take these moments for granted

“When you graduate 14, you don’t know what to expect,” said Paulino. “We don’t take it for granted winning four out of five, along with winning three regular-season championships, it is not something that comes easy.”

Ashland is 13-2-5 after having earned automatic qualification into the NCAA Division II playoffs for a seventh straight non-COVID season, and 15th time overall.

Senior forward Dani Hicks, the 2025 Great Midwest Offensive Player of the Year, had herself a night to remember. Hicks scored her 13th goal of the season with an assist from senior midfielder Emily Pate, which gave AU the lead in the sixth minute.

Hicks and Pate then teamed up to make the Eagle lead 2-0 in the 12th minute, as Hicks’ strike with the left foot gave her 14 goals on the campaign, and Pate had her second assist of the game.

Then, in the 31st minute, Hicks completed her second hat trick of the season, unassisted, to put Ashland up 3-0.

“She’s one of the best kids in the country. She put it in the back of the net and made things a lot easier for us”, Paulino said.

Fifth-year goalkeeper Jaya Daniel and senior goalkeeper Sarah Watson combined for the Eagles’ 11th clean sheet of the season. Daniel making two saves in 84-plus minutes, and Watson two saves in five-plus minutes.

“The scouting report is they’ve got some dangerous forwards, and we had to take care of the transitional moments,” said Paulino.

Next up for the Eagles is the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division II women’s soccer tournament. Ashland will head to Illinois to face the Drury Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 21.