A season-high in goals, a first-ever individual collegiate hat trick and a shutout all led the Ashland University men's soccer team to a 4-0 win at Walsh on Thursday (Sept. 17) night.
 
The Eagles move to 2-4 overall with their first Great Midwest Athletic Conference win of 2026 (1-2), while the Cavaliers are 1-4-1, 0-2-1.
 
In the 34^th minute, sophomore forward Tom Woodward potted an unassisted goal with the left foot right to left – his first of 2026. This marked the first time the Eagles got on the board first in a game since the 2-0 win at Millersville on Aug. 30.
 
Ashland bumped its advantage to 2-0 in the 68^th minute, as Woodward's team-leading third assist set up fellow sophomore forward Danail Mihaylov for his first goal as an Eagle.
 
Woodward's second goal of the game and season, coming in the 73^rd minute on an assist from graduate defender Paul Nedeoglo (his first as an Eagle), advanced the lead to 3-0. Then, Woodward's first collegiate hat trick was completed in the 83^rd minute on a feed from freshman midfielder Freddie Thompson.
 
Junior goalkeeper Jaime Duran stopped six shots for his second shutout of the season.
 
The Eagles out-shot the Cavaliers by a 25-13 count, and Walsh had seven of the game's 10 corner kicks.
 
Ashland now is 4-1-2 in the last seven games against Walsh since the start of the 2023 campaign.
 
The Eagles will stay on the road in conference play for a game at 4 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 19) at Northwood (1-3-1, 1-1).