No. 3 AU Women Emphatically Top Panthers, Clinch Conference Postseason Spot

On Thursday (Oct. 24) night at Ferguson Field, the No. 3-ranked Ashland University women's soccer team clinched a spot in the 2024 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament following a 8-0 win over Kentucky Wesleyan.
 
The Eagles, continuing to lead the conference table by themselves, improve to 12-1-1 overall and 9-0-1 in the league after an eighth straight victory, while the Panthers are 4-10, 3-7.
 
In the fourth minute, the Eagles scored on a set piece. A corner kick from sophomore midfielder Ella Schneider went to senior defender Hope Evans, then the ball found the foot of senior forward McKinley Mendenhall for her eighth goal of the season. It was the first assist of 2024 for both Schneider and Evans.
 
Then, in the 10^th minute, Schneider scored her second goal of the fall on a cross from junior forward Dani Hicks, her sixth helper of the campaign.
 
The 16^th minute saw Hicks pot her 12^th goal of the season and the 30^th of her career, following a run and an assist from sophomore defender Clara Richardson for her first assist of the year. Ashland's lead was upped to 4-0 in the 19^th minute on another set piece – a restart just outside of the 18 by senior midfielder Merrik Mihalek for her fourth of the season.
 
Senior forward Sydney McMillan scored her second goal of the season in the 29^th minute, as junior forward Natalie Miskerik picked up her second assist of the fall. It became a 6-0 game in the 39^th minute when fifth-year forward Allison King scored goal No. 2 of the season on a feed from freshman midfielder Audrey Kalmar for her first assist as an Eagle.
 
In the second half, Schneider scored her second of the night and third of the season in the 58^th minute. Mendenhall had the assist, her eighth assist of 2024 and 33^rd of her Eagle career.
 
Then, in the 80^th minute, junior midfielder Emily Pate recorded her second goal of the season on a feed from senior midfielder Sabrina Trapani, who picked up her first helper of the season.
 
SPREADING OUT THE OFFENSE…AND THE REST OF THE STORY

• The Eagles' eight goals came from seven different players, and their eight assists also came from eight different sources.
• Fifth-year goalkeeper Mackenzie Simon faced two shots in recording her first solo clean sheet of the season, and the team's 10^th shutout of the fall. Simon's season goals-against average fell to 0.13.
• The Eagles out-shot the Panthers, 29-2, and took all eight of the game's corner kicks.
• Ashland is 5-0 all-time vs. KWC.

UP NEXT
Saturday (Oct. 26) at 4 p.m. at Lake Erie (2-11-1, 0-9-1).