Eagle Men Continue To Make Strides In 2-1 Home Loss

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THE TURNING POINT: Northwood scored the game-winning goal in the 75^th minute, breaking a 1-1 tie.

STAT OF THE DAY: Ashland started nine freshmen on Friday, and was tied with the Timberwolves until late.

Being undermanned on Friday (Oct. 14) night at Ferguson Field against a team it lost to 3-0 on the road on Sept. 16, Ashland University's men's soccer team dropped a 2-1 home decision to Northwood.

The Eagles are 4-8-1 overall and 2-8-1 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Timberwolves are 7-2-3, 6-2-3.

"We sound like a broken record, and eventually, we have to fix it," said Ashland head coach Oliver Slawson. "Both goals come off our mistakes. It keeps biting us. That happens when you're young.

"We're coming away from this game disappointed, knowing that we should have gotten something."

Missing strikers Chijioke Mbaike (junior), Tomas Cordeiro (sophomore) and Andrew Pearson (freshman) due to injury, Ashland featured nine freshmen in the starting lineup on Friday night.

Following a scoreless first half, Northwood scored the game's first goal in the 48^th minute. The Eagles, however, knotted the game at 1 in the 57^th minute when freshman midfielder C.J. Maynard scored his second goal of 2016 on a free kick by junior defender Darren Burns.

The Timberwolves potted the deciding goal in the 75^th minute.

"It's just a learning process, but it does speak of how far we've come," Slawson said, "that there is frustration, there is disappointment that we're not getting results."

Senior goalkeeper Nick Ciraldo made nine saves, extending his GLIAC-leading total to 79.

UP NEXT: Sunday (Oct. 16) at 4 p.m. at Ferguson Field against Saginaw Valley State. "It's another learning experience, another chance to see how far we've come," Slawson said. "There's still a lot of growing to do."

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