Following a Drury handball in the box, senior midfielder Keira Erling's penalty-shot goal in the 75^th minute, along with a clean sheet on defense, lifted the No. 13-ranked Ashland University women's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Drury on Friday (Nov. 21) afternoon in a 2025 NCAA Division II first-round game at McKendree.
 
The Eagles move to 14-2-5, and move on to the NCAA second round on Sunday (Nov. 23) at 4 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Central against the winner of Friday's contest between the host Bearcats and Missouri-St. Louis.

"This group is different, and it's finding ways to get results," said Ashland head coach Cayleb Paulino. "They're growing from it. They are doing an unbelievable job."
 
Drury's season ends at 10-3-8. This was the third time in the last five seasons that the Eagles and Panthers faced off in the NCAA playoffs – and the first time AU won.
 
The Eagles' last NCAA victory before Friday afternoon came in a 2-0 decision vs. Cedarville at Ferguson Field on Nov. 18, 2023.
 
To say offense was not the order of the first half would be an understatement. Ashland took all six shots in the game's first 45 minutes – the first three were blocked, one missed high, one was saved and one hit the crossbar.
 
There also were no corner kicks for either side in the first half.
 
But then, after nearly 75 scoreless minutes, Erling came on to pot the penalty kick for her fifth goal of the season.

"I didn't see it," Paulino said of the handball. "The players were up and yelling for it. We were looking at personnel on the field, and she's (Erling) usually the most confident in PKs."
 
THE WRAP-UP TO MOVE ON

• Ashland took 13 of the game's 15 shots, and all four of the contest's corner kicks.
• Drury took no shots on goal, giving fifth-year goalkeeper Jaya Daniel (13-1-5) her seventh solo clean sheet of the season and the team's 12^th overall. 
• "We continue to be one of the best defensive teams in the country," stated Paulino. "You've got to keep the ball out of the net."