ASHLAND, Ohio – For a brief time on Sunday (Oct. 2), the AU men's soccer team was feeling good about its performance at GLIAC foe Saginaw Valley State.
The Eagles tied the game with the Cardinals, 1-1, on a goal by senior Kenny Hewitt (London, England/Longhill) at the 52:17 mark. Just 49 seconds later, the Cardinals regained the lead and sustained it for the rest of the game, handing AU a 2-1 loss.
The Eagles (2-7-2, 1-4-1 GLIAC) remained winless in their last seven games and are struggling to gain traction in a season that is now past the midway point. The Cardinals snapped a three-game winless streak with the win.
Saginaw Valley State (6-1-2, 3-1-1 GLIAC) opened the scoring in the 33rd minute when Tyler Channell finished a pass from Conor Reaume.
The Eagles were out-shot, 9-5, in the first half, but the Cardinals only led that category, 14-13 for the game.
Ashland finally got on the board in the 53rd minute when Hewitt finished a cross from junior Mitch Deyhle (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle) at the back post. It was Hewitt's first goal of the season and the second assist for Deyhle.
Less than a minute after the equalizer, the Laurence Patterson gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead with the assist going to Zack Minor.
The Eagles took seven shots after that goal with three of them coming on goal, but Jason Wise came up with the clutch saves for the Cardinals. He and AU goalkeeper Justin Nolan (Medina, Ohio/Highland) had five saves apiece.
Saginaw Valley State had a 6-5 advantage on corner kicks. Hewitt and senior Andrew Iden (Marysville, Ohio) had four shots each for the Eagles.
Ashland will have a week off to regroup before returning to the pitch next Sunday (Oct. 9) at Lake Erie. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
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