The Ashland University men's soccer team scored in the seventh minute and withstood a late Cedarville attack to keep a clean sheet and earn a 1-0 win at Ferguson Field on Wednesday (Sept. 12) evening.
The Eagles (1-2-1) picked up their first win of the season as they were able to maintain quality possession and garner much of the attack in the game.
"We wanted the win tonight," said AU head coach Oliver Slawson. "We executed our roles while knowing we can still play better. All our goals are still ahead of us. They've worked hard in training and that's showing up in our games."
Ashland scored the only goal of the game in the seventh minute as freshman Haruki Kimura sent in a cross from the left side that sophomore Jackson Crawford settled in the goal box area for sophomore Justin Libertowski, who smashed in his fourth goal of the season.
The Eagles earned chances throughout the remainder of the contest, but were just unable to get the last bit of quality to add to their lead.
More importantly, the Eagles were able to keep the Yellow Jackets (3-2-1) off the board for the full 90 minutes, despite a late rush from the visitors.
"We showed maturity and an understanding of what it takes to win at this level," Slawson said. "The other pleasing thing is that we created the chances, and next time they'll drop for us."
Cedarville had a chance in the waning seconds as Derek Braak got behind the AU defense, but his shot with five seconds remaining sailed just past the far post.
Senior goalkeeper Nick Costa earned his first clean sheet in an Ashland uniform, making five saves in the winning effort.
The teams were even in total shots, 9-9, but Cedarville had a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.
The Eagles will return to Ferguson Field on Sunday (Sept. 16) when they take on Parkside at 3 p.m. to open GLIAC play.
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