After scoring five goals in five games to start the 2026 season, the No. 11-ranked Ashland University women's soccer team exploded on Saturday (Sept. 12) afternoon in an 8-0 Great Midwest Athletic Conference win over Ursuline at Ferguson Field.
 
The Eagles improve to 4-1-1 overall and 2-0 in the Great Midwest, while the Arrows move to 1-3, 0-2.
 
"The goal for us, we talk about it every week, is to go 2-0," said Ashland head coach Cayleb Paulino. "It's a really important time for us, going into conference play. I think we're starting to scratch the surface of what we can do offensively.
 
"We were kind of joking that we broke our one-goal streak."
 
With the victory, AU is 7-0 all-time vs. Ursuline.

Ashland posted the game's first goal in the 17^th minute, as sophomore forward Tessa Blain scored her second of the season – and second in as many games – unassisted on a long shot with the left foot.
 
Then, in the 24^th minute, another sophomore forward, Cece Craig, potted her first goal of 2026 following a corner kick from senior midfielder Ella Schneider. The assist was Schneider's first of the campaign.
 
Junior midfielder Sofia Divine's left foot on a free kick just outside of the 18 put the Eagles up 3-0. It was Divine's first tally of the season. In the 56^th minute, senior midfielder Haley Hightower's first goal of the fall extended the lead, following assists from Craig and Blain – each their second helpers of the season.
 
Blain's second goal of the afternoon, and third of the season, came in the 59^th minute – after senior defender Clara Richardson took an Ursuline turnover and immediately fed Blain for AU goal No. 5, and her first assist of the season.
 
The Eagles scored another set-piece goal in the 72^nd minute, when, after a corner kick by junior midfielder Audrey Kalmar, junior midfielder Avery Perkins found the back of the Ursuline net on a header. It was Perkins' first collegiate goal, and Kalmar's first assist this year.
 
"It's a big thing for us that we generate a ton of corner kicks and set pieces," Paulino said. "The quality of service has been huge for us."
 
Perkins' second goal of the day, in the 78^th minute, came following a left-to-right assist from sophomore midfielder Lily Cook – Cook's first collegiate point.
 
"She's been threatening to goal in training, and we're trying to reward that effort," said Paulino. "She put her chances away, which was great to see."
 
It became an 8-0 game in the 81^st minute, as sophomore midfielder Hannah Michalowski's first collegiate goal provided the game's final margin.
 
Both Blain and Perkins ended Saturday with their first career brace, respectively.
 
The Eagles dominated in statistics other than the final score, taking all 27 of the game's shots, and all 13 of the contest's corner kicks.
 
Ashland will stay at Ferguson Field for another G-MAC contest, Thursday (Sept. 17) at 6:30 p.m. vs. Ohio Dominican – the Eagles' Morgan's Message game.