The women’s soccer team faced some fierce competition over the weekend, playing Ferris State on Friday and No. 14 Grand Valley State on Sunday. The Eagles were unable to get a result from either match, conceding a combined eight goals while scoring none. The Eagles fell to 3-5-1 overall and dropped to third in the GLIAC South Division standings with a record of 2-3-1.

Ferris State (2-4-1, 2-1-1 GLIAC)

The Eagles took on the Ferris State Bulldogs in their first home night game of the season Friday. Ashland played solid at the start of the game before two goals late in the first half by the Bulldogs led to a 3-0 defeat.

Play was even until around the 25 minute mark, when Ferris State started to open the game up and create chances. They made the breakthrough in the 39th minute when Kasey Ruimveld got on the end of a cross from the right wing by Mekyla Spraggins. Ashland sophomore goalkeeper Rebecca Plescia came out to punch the ball away but missed and Ruimveld finished from six yards at the far post.

Six minutes later Bri Borgman scored by dribbling down the right side of the field, cutting back to the middle and unleashing a strike 8 yards from goal. The shot took a deflection on its way to the goal, causing Plescia to misjudge its flight.

Eagles’ head coach Glenn Francis opted to change goalkeepers at halftime, subbing in sophomore Karly Beuck.

“It just wasn’t Becca’s night,” Francis said. “It was a mental error (on the first goal), and we were just trying to get some motivation with the change.”

The second period saw the Eagles control the ball and create more chances. They had nine of their ten shots in the second half, but were unable to find the back of the net.

A goal in the 59th minute by the Bulldogs, against the run of play, crippled any chance of an AU comeback. A deflected ball went high in the air and was called for by Beuck, but an Ashland defender did not hear the call and went to head the ball away. The ball bounced by and the Bulldogs’ Stephanie Garland was able to get a head to it to give her team a three goal lead.

The Bulldogs outshot the Eagles 12-10 and held a 6-2 advantage on corner kicks. Only five of Ferris State’s shots were on target, however, and the Ashland goalkeepers each made one save in their half of play. Ferris State’s Rachel McCollum was able to make eight saves to preserve the shutout.

“We just didn’t put the balls away,” Francis said. “We created enough chances to be dangerous and didn’t put the ball away. We inflicted a lot of pain and they capitalized on a lot of our mistakes. That’s what good teams do.”

No. 14 GVSU (5-0-2, 4-0-0 GLIAC)

The nationally ranked Grand Valley State Lakers were just too much for the Eagles to handle Sunday at Ferguson Field, handing them a 5-0 defeat to remain unbeaten. The Eagles were only able to muster five shots to Grand Valley’s 19.

Grand Valley opened the scoring with less than ten minutes gone when Erin Mruz got on the end of an Ashley Botts cross seven yards away from goal and finished at the far post. Botts scored a goal of her own in the 20th minute, followed by a headed goal by Kayla Addison in the 35th minute that gave the Lakers a 3-0 halftime lead. GVSU outshot the Eagles 10-1 in the first period.

The second half brought more of the same. Maria Brown took the Lakers’ lead to four when she volleyed home a cross by Mruz in the 57th minute and Addison scored her second goal of the game in the 89th minute off a through ball by Kayla Kimble.

Plescia got the start in goal for the Eagles and made three saves before being replaced by Beuck, who made four saves, at halftime. Senior forward Chelsea Hyatt was yellow-carded in the 87th minute for the Eagles.

Ashland will take to the road this weekend, heading to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to take on Michigan Tech (3-4-1, 1-4-1 GLIAC) Friday and Northern Michigan (5-2-2, 3-2-1 GLIAC) Sunday.