Coming into Saturday (Oct. 1) afternoon's game at Ferguson Field tied for third in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference table, Ashland University's men's soccer team did nothing to hurt that after a 3-1 home win over Trevecca Nazarene.
The Eagles, thanks to their fifth victory in a row, move to 6-3-1 overall and 5-2 in the Great Midwest. The last time Ashland won five in a row was the last five games of the 2021 spring season, en route to a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title.
"It was a totally new group, so we had to swim around in the dark a little bit," said Ashland head coach
Nick Roberts. "There was a time when they were working together and started clicking a little bit. We've played well, we're working hard, and we're finding wins.
"Because it's a young team, we don't look any further than the next game. We'll see where we end up. They're a great group of kids, they're working very hard. They like each other – that pays dividends anyway."
Trevecca Nazarene suffered its fourth loss consecutively, and is 3-7, 1-6.
Ashland's victory came after the dedication of the
Danny Krispinsky Memorial Shelters at Ferguson Field.
WHAT HAPPENED
- In the 23rd minute, sophomore forward Jake Grove potted his third goal of the season in front of the Trojan net, on a feed from junior midfielder Vander Rocha, his second helper of 2022.
- Then, in the 32nd minute, freshman defender Collin Kittrell scored his first collegiate goal unassisted immediately after a Trevecca Nazarene turnover, but in the 33rd minute, TNU countered with a goal by Jonas Grossman to return the game to a one-goal spread at 2-1.
- Ashland made it a 3-1 game on a set piece, scoring on a corner kick from Rocha to senior forward Floris Kluemper. Kluemper scored his second goal as an Eagle, and Rocha had his second assist of the contest and third of the season.
- "He works very, vard hard. He's very committed," Roberts said of Rocha. "The headers he wins – he's 5-foot-7, and he wins headers against 6-foot-4 guys. Very, very competitive."
- Saturday marked the Eagles' first three-plus-goal first half since Oct. 9, 2021 at Kentucky Wesleyan (four).
THE WRAP-UP
- Ashland out-shot TNU, 16-9, and had a 9-4 corner kicks advantage.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Ty Bowden (6-3-1) made two saves for the victory. Freshman defender Abdul Kawa has worked his way from the reserve team to the starting lineup the last five games, and Ashland has yielded three goals in those contests.
- "We had no expectation, and we thought he'd take a couple years to play," Roberts said. "We watched him in those reserve games, and after three games of watching him, I said to Gus (graduate assistant coach Gustavo Cabral), 'we have to play him.' He's one of our best players."
- The Eagles are 2-1 all-time against the Trojans.
UP NEXT
The Eagle men will travel to Malone (3-8, 1-6) on Tuesday (Oct. 4) at 5 p.m. for another Great Midwest contest.
