The men’s soccer team opened the season on Sept. 1 with a 1-0 win over Slippery Rock. On Sept. 4, the Eagles lost 2-1 to Northern Kentucky, the No. 1 ranked team in Division II. They then opened GLIAC play with a scoreless draw against Tiffin before beating Findlay 3-1, bringing their record to 2-1-2 (1-0-1 GLIAC) and placing them at No. 18 in the latest NSCAA Division II Coaches’ Poll.

Slippery Rock (0-0-0)

Ashland sophomore defender Jamie Dollar launched a rocket off his right foot and into the lower right corner of the goal in the 76th minute to beat Slippery Rock 1-0 in the season opener for both teams. The goal came off a set piece and the ball was laid off to Dollar by junior Mitch Deyhle.

The goal was almost identical to the one Dollar scored in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, the last goal that the Eagles scored last season.

“The whole middle was open, and they obviously didn’t see me up top sitting, so I just smashed one to the right corner like last time,” Dollar said.

Dollar did a celebratory back flip following the goal.

AU outshot The Rock 13-6, but scoring opportunities for both teams were sparse. The two teams combined for 39 fouls and seven yellow cards (AU 4, SR 3).

“As a whole the team played hard, they worked, they gutted it out and they did what they needed to do to get the win,” Freeman said.

No. 1 Northern Kentucky (1-0-0)

Michael Bartlett scored a goal in the 87th minute to give Northern Kentucky a 2-1 win in the rain over No. 23 Ashland on Sept. 4. The Norse outshot the Eagles 10-5 and had the better of the play for most of the game, but AU fought hard and nearly got a result.

After a scoreless first half, NKU took the lead in the 50th minute from a set piece. Mason Cassady passed a free kick to Nicholas Chairot, who finished at the near post.

“We shouldn’t have given up the foul,” Ashland head coach Jon Freeman said. “They sent a guy over the ball that ran over it to the left and he ran into the flat. A guy off the wall’s supposed to peel out and pick him up, nobody picked him up and Justin (Nolan) got caught off his near post and got scored on.”

The Eagles struck back in the 71st minute on another free kick goal from Jamie Dollar. Dollar hammered the kick, which took a deflection off the wall, into the right side of the goal to tie the game.

Bartlett’s game-winning goal for NKU also came on a set piece. The ball took several deflections inside the box before falling to his feet.

The game was very physical as the two teams combined for 44 fouls and ten yellow cards.

“I was proud of the way we played,” Freeman said. “I don’t think we were the better team on the day. I think they deserved to win the game. Unfortunately, it was tough the way they got that last goal.”

Tiffin (2-0-0, 0-0-0 GLIAC)

Ashland and Tiffin played to a scoreless draw through two overtimes Friday evening at Ferguson Field, but not for a lack of opportunities. The Dragons outshot the Eagles 15-14 and both teams had chances to win in the final minutes of regulation and both overtimes.

The most compelling matchup of the evening was between Tiffin’s All-American forward Ashton Campbell and AU defender Jamie Dollar.

“You had two of the premiere players in the GLIAC , Jamie Dollar and Ashton Campbell, going at each other, and you’re always wanting to see what happens,” Freeman said. “I think tonight we got a feather in our cap because we held him scoreless.”

Junior goalkeeper Justin Nolan made several game-saving stops in the overtimes, including one at the last second of the first overtime.

“I just happened to have a lucky reaction save there, but it’s not always going to happen like that so we’ve just got to sort things out in the future,” Nolan said.

The game was the GLIAC opener for both teams. Tiffin was projected by the coaches to win the conference, while the Eagles were picked to finish third.

“”I was pleased with our performance,” Freeman said. “We put 110 minutes together. We were committed to battling for that time, and I’m just proud of the boys and the way they played. These boys are hungry and if somebody’s going to get a game from them they’re going to have to rip their hearts out.”

Findlay (0-3-0, 0-1-0 GLIAC)

Senior midfielder Kenny Hewitt made his way to second on the all-time Ashland assists list after dishing out three assists in a win over Findlay on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles led 2-0 at halftime on their way to a 3-1 victory.

Ashland’s first goal came in the 14th minute. Hewitt got the ball out wide on the left, put an Oiler defender on his heels and swung in a right-footed cross to the back post. Junior Zaan Janse, a native of New Zealand, got a foot to the cross and volleyed it in to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

It looked like the Eagles were going to open the game up after scoring their second goal in the 32nd minute. Hewitt again started with the ball out wide, this time going towards the end line and sending a left-footed cross to the far post. Senior transfer J.P. Lytle finished it, again on a volley.

Freeman brought in a slew of players throughout the rest of the game, allowing some of his starters to get some rest. The team let their foot off the gas a little in the second half, and the Oilers made them pay in the 65th minute when Chris Bailer unleashed a brilliant strike into the right side of the goal on junior goalkeeper Kurt Innes to cut the lead to 2-1.

Ashland finally put the game away in the 88th minute, scoring again on a pass from Hewitt. Freshman Patrick Pearson tapped the ball into the back of the net from close range.

“I just saw that I was wide open and I knew (Hewitt) saw it,” Pearson said. “He just put it in a perfect spot, all I had to do was tap it in.”

The assist was Hewitt’s 21st for the purple and gold, passing Simon West for second all time. Ward Trowman holds the record with 32 career assists.

“It’s a nice achievement I guess, but I don’t play to look at records and stats,” Hewitt said. “I play to win games with my team.”

Freeman was frustrated with the overall effort from his team in the game.

“We’re a better team than we showed tonight, and I know the boys know that as well,” he said. “I’m a bit frustrated in the consistency in the performance. I felt we had the first half under control, but at the same time we didn’t break their backs.”

Ashland finished off a five game home stand on Wednesday against Lake Erie, details from the match to come. They will take to the road on Friday to play Ohio Dominican before heading to Walsh on Sunday.