A rare mid-season non-conference game went the way of the No. 4-ranked Ashland University women's soccer team, as, on Wednesday (Oct. 9) night, the Eagles topped Slippery Rock on the road, 1-0.
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Ashland moves to 8-1-1 with the win, and The Rock is 4-3-3 after the defeat. The Eagles have won four in a row, and have clean sheets in five straight.
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After more than 56 minutes of scoreless soccer, senior forward
McKinley Mendenhall scored her fourth goal of the season in the 57
th minute, corralling the rebound off a shot by junior forward
Dani Hicks and putting the ball in the back of the net. The assist was Hicks' third of the fall.
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Mendenhall's goal gives her 76 points as an Eagle – tying her with
Deijah Swihart for seventh place on the program's all-time list.
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Senior goalkeeper
Maddie Dolenga (first half) didn't need to make a save, while fifth-year keeper
Mackenzie Simon (second half) had one, as the pair combined for their eighth shutout of the season. Both Dolenga and Simon each have a 0.20 goals-against average in 2024.
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FIRST-HALF ZEROS CONTINUE…AND THE REST OF THE STORY
- Following the scoreless first half, the Eagles continue to outscore opponents 12-0 in the first 45 minutes of games in 2024, and 34-1 in first halves since the start of 2023.
- The Eagles had a 22-4 shots advantage, and took eight corner kicks to The Rock's four.
- Ashland moves to 3-2 all-time against Slippery Rock, and Wednesday's game was the first between the two in 25 years.
UP NEXT
The Eagles (5-0-1, in first place alone) will return to Great Midwest Athletic Conference play on Saturday (Oct. 12) at 7 p.m. at Walsh (6-2-1, 3-2-1).
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