The men’s soccer team got back on track this weekend with a victory and a draw against two of the top teams in the conference. The Eagles did not give up a goal in either game, earning junior goalkeeper Justin Nolan the honor of GLIAC Men’s Soccer “Athlete of the Week.” Nolan is the first Ashland player to receive the award this year. The clean sheets came in games against No. 25 Northwood and Saginaw Valley State.

No. 25 Northwood (6-2-2, 4-2-2 GLIAC)

Ashland took advantage of some home cooking for the first time since Sept. 14 on Friday when they took on the Northwood Timberwolves. It was Italian Feast Night in Convo, and the Eagles feasted on some European flavor of their own, as senior Englishman Kenny Hewitt grabbed the lead with a first half goal and they held on for a 2-0 victory.

The breakthrough came in the 10th minute, when senior J.P. Lytle sent a long, high through ball over the heads of the Northwood defense and Hewitt was able to chase it down. He took a couple touches to get inside the right corner of penalty area and unleashed a left-footed shot that snuck inside the far post.

The lead was the first that the Eagles had had since Sept. 11 against Findlay, a game which they won 3-1.

“It was huge (to get the lead),” Ashland coach Jon Freeman said. “We came out strong, we were hungry, we were ready to go and I think we caught them a little bit off-guard in that moment. Kenny hit a great shot and put it in the back of the net, and it gives us some confidence.”

The score remained 1-0 until the 66th minute, when Ashland caught a lucky break with an own goal. Mitch Deyhle’s cross was mishandled by the Timberwolves keeper and ended up in the back of the net to give the Eagles the 2-0 win.

“It’s the first time we’ve been lucky all year,” Freeman said. “I’m going to take it and run with it.”

Saginaw Valley State (9-2-3, 5-2-2 GLIAC)

Sunday was Senior Day for the six seniors on the men’s soccer team, and as it turned out both teams could have left after the pregame ceremony. The Eagles played the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals to a scoreless draw through two overtimes, despite 25 total shots being fired by both teams.

Nolan recorded his second straight clean sheet in goal for the Eagles, saving six shots in the game.

Ashland held a 13-12 advantage in shots taken, and took the only two shots in the overtimes. Neither team looked to be pushing to win the game, instead settling for the draw in fear of a loss.

“It’s a conference game,” Freeman said. “Every game means something. It’s as important not to give up goals as it is to score them.”