While it wasn't a record-breaking crowd on Saturday (Sept. 6) night at Ferguson Field, the No. 16-ranked Ashland University women's soccer team did draw a strong following for a 3-0 win over Slippery Rock.
The Eagles' first victory of the fall puts them at 1-1, while The Rock is 0-1.
"I thought the first half, we were a bit sluggish," noted Ashland head coach
Cayleb Paulino. "We challenged them at halftime…we put them under pressure, and made things very difficult."
On Youth Soccer Night, Ashland attempted to "Fill the Ferg" to break the NCAA Division II women's soccer attendance record of 3,227, set on Aug. 27, 2009 in the Wayne State (Neb.) vs. Nebraska-Kearney game. The final attendance mark on Saturday night was 992.
"It's a thing we want to try to create, and regardless if it's 3,000 or 1,000, it creates a cool experience for the group, and hopefully fans enjoyed it," Paulino said.
The scoreless tie was broken by Ashland in the 53
rd minute, when senior forward
Dani Hicks' first goal of the new season came on her second attempt in the sequence following a Slippery Rock save. Hicks' 33
rd career goal ties her for seventh place in program history.
"She's created chances these first two games. Finally, in the second half, the ball bounced her way off the initial keeper save, and she put it in the back of the net for us," Paulino said.
In the 63
rd minute, senior midfielder
Emily Pate's first goal of the season gave AU a 2-0 lead. The assist went to junior defender
Clara Richardson.
It didn't take long for the Eagles to go up 3-0, as, in the 65
th minute, freshman forward
Cece Craig's first collegiate tally came on an assist from another rookie forward,
Tessa Blain.
DANIEL'S FIRST D-II CLEAN SHEET
- Fifth-year goalkeeper Jaya Daniel earned her first NCAA Division II shutout on Saturday night, stopping three shots.
- "We had some new faces back there," noted Paulino. "Jaya did an honorable job for us commanding the box. We're excited about the group in the back, and they did really well tonight."
- Ashland out-shot The Rock, 14-9, and the Eagles had nine of the contest's 11 corner kicks.
NEXT UP
A neutral-site game on Friday (Sept. 12) at 5 p.m. vs. Central Missouri (0-0-1) at Grand Valley State.
