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BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – There are varying thoughts on how it feels to tie a game.
Ashland University women's soccer interim head coach Taylor Clarke thought a draw was a good result on Friday (Sept. 28) at the Bulldog Soccer Field, as the No. 18-ranked Eagles knotted No. 14-ranked Ferris State, 2-2. AU is 7-0-3 overall and 2-0-1 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Bulldogs are 8-1-1, 2-0-1.
"Any time you are up against a nationally-ranked opponent, and you come out with a tie, it's maybe not a great result, but it's a good result for us," Clarke said. "It shows that we're competitive, we belong where we're at."
Both Ashland and Ferris State are two points behind Saginaw Valley State (7-1-1, 3-0) in the early GLIAC going.
The Bulldogs scored in the sixth minute when Abigail Gilmore took a pass from Gabrielle Teodorescu and scored her second goal of the fall. Then, in the 37th minute, following an Eagle foul for an FSU free kick, Bri Rogers scored her first goal of the campaign to extend the lead to 2-0.
In the game's first 45 minutes, Ferris State out-shot Ashland both overall (9-6) and on goal (6-3). The second half, however – and a five-minute period, in particular – was a different story.
The Eagles got on the scoreboard in the 80th minute when sophomore forward Hannah Simard chipped the ball over the head of FSU goalkeeper Taryn Meiste, cutting the AU deficit to 2-1 with her fourth goal of the season. Sophomore forward Rylie Howman picked up the assist, her first as an Eagle.
Then, in the 85th minute, Howman potted her second goal of the year to tie the game at 2, as freshman forward/midfielder Makenzie Kelly picked up the assist, her second.
Both teams finished the contest with 19 shots. Ashland sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Lee, seeing her first action in 12 days due to injury, made eight saves in playing all 110 minutes.
"I thought we showed great resolve today," Clarke said. "Any time you get scored on in an even game first, it's really, really difficult to come back from. For us to be able to come back and show that resolve and get a result is huge."
Ashland will finish the weekend GLIAC road trip with a game on Sunday (Sept. 30) at noon at Northwood (2-6, 1-2).
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