No. 11 AU Women Earn Lead Early, End With 5-1 Home Win Over Arrows

On a day when the 1998 NCAA Division II Final Four Ashland University women's soccer team was honored with a pre-game reception and at halftime, the 2024 Eagles earned their fourth consecutive win, 5-1, on Saturday (Sept. 21) against Ursuline.
 
The Eagles are 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, while the Arrows are 1-2-2, 1-1. Ashland is 4-0 all-time against Ursuline.
 
"The group that subbed on created more chances for us," said Ashland head coach Cayleb Paulino. "We got five, we won the first half by quite a few goals, but tied the second, so disappointed that we gave up a goal.
 
"We created enough chances, we generated them, now we've just got to do a better job putting it in the back of the net."
 
Ashland's five goals are the most in a game in nearly a full calendar year – since a 6-0 win at Kentucky Wesleyan on Sept. 23, 2023.
 
The Eagles didn't need much time to take the lead, as, in the seventh minute, senior forward McKinley Mendenhall scored in front of the Arrow net on a through ball assist from junior forward Dani Hicks. It was Mendenhall's first tally of 2024, and Hicks' first helper.
 
Hicks then scored her team-leading fourth goal of the season in the 28^th minute in front of the Arrow net, with senior forward Sydney McMillan making the cross for the assist.
 
In the 35^th minute, senior forward Tori Haggit potted her first goal of the season on a penalty kick for a 3-0 Eagle advantage. Then, in the 43^rd minute, fifth-year forward Allison King went toward the Ursuline goal and picked up her first tally of the young campaign.
 
Hicks scored her fifth goal of the season – and AU's fifth goal of the game – in the 49^th minute. Mendenhall had the assist, her team-leading third of the season.
 
For Hicks, that was her third career brace as an Eagle – one each in her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.
 
Alexis Ivory scored the Arrows' goal in the 70^th minute – breaking AU's streak of roughly 383 minutes without yielding a tally.
 
AU STATISTICAL DOMINATION…AND THE REST OF THE STORY

• The Eagles outshot the Arrows, 32-4, on Saturday night.
• Of the 15 corner kicks in the game, Ashland had 14 of them.
• Fifth-year goalkeeper Mackenzie Simon got the start on Saturday, playing the first half. Senior keeper Maddie Dolenga played the second half and made one save.
• Nearly all of the players from the 1998 team made an appearance throughout the day, as most made their return to campus for the first time in more than a quarter-century.
• "It was a cool recognition for the group and get to know them a little bit more personally," Paulino said, "and our players interacting with them. So glad we were able to recognize them for what they were able to do in '98, and hopefully we continue to build that relationship."

UP NEXT
The end of AU's three-game homestand on Thursday (Sept. 26) at 6:30 p.m. vs. Northwood (3-0-2, 1-0).