FINDLAY — The University of Findlay men’s soccer team left no doubt on Thursday afternoon, beating Ashland 5-0 in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference match in Findlay.
The Oilers led by just one goal at halftime, then scored four times in the second half to pull away. The win improves Findlay to 9-3-1 overall and 6-3-1 in conference play, giving the Oilers a convincing home result in the middle of the conference schedule.
Andre Sardinha opened the scoring in the seventh minute, finishing a play set up by Tom Middleham. That goal stood alone for more than 50 minutes, keeping Ashland within reach despite Findlay’s pressure.
Middleham then doubled the lead himself with an unassisted goal in the 59th minute. Eight minutes later Carson Oberski made it 3-0, scoring off an assist from Tyler Pawlicki, and the match tilted firmly toward the home side.
Joshua Brennan added the fourth goal unassisted in the 80th minute, then set up the last one two minutes later, assisting Eric Millan in the 82nd minute to complete the five-goal margin.
The statistics matched the scoreline. Findlay outshot Ashland 23-13 and held a 12-5 edge in corner kicks, spending long stretches in the attacking end in the second half.
The result also reverses the first meeting between the teams this season. Ashland had beaten Findlay 4-0 at home on Oct. 3; Thursday’s rematch in Findlay went entirely the other way.
The shutout matters as much as the goals for Findlay. Keeping a clean sheet while scoring five times shows balance at both ends — a defense that limited Ashland’s chances and an attack that finished from five different scorers, with goals spread from the seventh minute to the 82nd. No single player carried the result; the Oilers got contributions across the lineup.
Ashland, now 5-8-1 overall and 4-6-1 in the conference, is off until a non-conference match on Monday, Oct. 19, at D’Youville, a rare late-season break from league play. Findlay, meanwhile, strengthened its conference position with one of its most complete performances of the season, and it did so against the same opponent that had shut the Oilers out two weeks earlier.