On Nov. 21, the AU women’s soccer team topped the Drury Panthers 1-0 to move on to the regional semifinals. The Eagles moved to 14-2-5 on the season, and Drury ended their season 13-1-5. The victory over Drury marks the Eagles first win in the teams’ third matchup in the last five seasons.

In a battle between the top two defenses in the region, the Eagles took six shots in the first half to the Panthers zero. After delivering a clean sheet of defense, senior midfielder Keira Erling scored the lone goal of the match on a Penalty shot following a handball penalty on Drury.

In the last 15 minutes, Drury pressed offence in an effort to tie the game, getting 2 shots off. The Panthers came up short in the end with no shots on goal to Ashland’s four. Following the shutout, Jaya Daniels got her seventh solo clean sheet of the season and the team’s 12th.

Head coach Cayleb Paulino praised the team stating, “This group is different, and it’s finding ways to get results.”

Next, the Eagles will take on the Missouri-St. Louis Tritons, in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs on Nov. 23 at 4 p.m.