ONTARIO — Ashland lost 32 of the 66 goals scored last fall to graduation, 19 of which came from Kaden Howman who is preparing for his freshman season at Baldwin Wallace University. "We figured this year was going to be a lot of scoring from build-up play," coach Dustin Hosler said. "You can't replace someone like Kaden who could beat multiple players one-on-one, get to the goal line, and find a way to score. This year we have to score as a collective unit ... development from the back, through the midfield, and ultimately finding that final ball to put in." The Arrows did just that Friday, Aug. 14 in an emphatic 9-0 season opening win at Ontario. MORE: Top 10 Richland County boys soccer players for 2026 | Jake's List
"I thought we did a really good job of that, we had a couple goals off throw ins and set pieces, so I'm happy with that," Hosler said. "We're gonna have to find a different way to score this year than we have in years past, but I think it can make us just as dangerous." As for who might step up to fill the offensive void Howman left, two players threw their hat in the ring. Sophomore Luke Lavengood netted four against the Warriors while junior Ethan Haag bagged a hat trick. "I couldn't do what I do without them getting me the ball," Lavengood said. "We passed the ball very well, we talked well ... I couldn't say more about them." The Arrows dominated possession which led to 30-plus shots in the match. "It's the most important thing," Lavengood said. "We work on it in practice every day ... possession, keeping the ball, that's our game right now. Keep the ball and work through that." He opened the scoring in the 13th minute sliding into a chested ball from junior Jaxson Witter, but the real gem was the through ball from senior Gary George from nearly midfield to Witter in the opposite corner of the box to set up the assist. Three minutes later Haag blasted in a deflected corner before getting his second in the 30th minute nodding in a cross from freshman Coen Howman. Witter poked in the Arrows' fourth after a frenzy of attempts seven minutes into the second half, Lavengood nabbed his brace on a solo effort in the 48th, and Haag found his third with a half hour to go. Lavengood then nodded in back-to-back long throws from George within a 90-second span.
"Gary's just a pure athlete," Hosler said of George's ability to turn any throw-in in the final third into a set piece. "He's been a four-year starter, and I bet you can count on your hand how many minutes he has been off the field in the last four years. He's a weapon defensive and offensively, we're gonna rely on him a lot this year." Junior Maddox Mager added the final goal in the 77th minute handing the Warriors their biggest defeat at home in the last decade. "We've got a good group ... from a coaching standpoint, we've got one of the highest soccer IQ teams that any of us have been around — they know how to play," Hosler said. "We have three freshmen starting at any one time and a couple of sophomores, but they're big contributors to our team anchored by a really quality senior class with a couple juniors. They all work well together and they play well together ... they had a goal of what they wanted to do tonight, and I think they stuck to it." And as good as Ashland's offense was, the defense stifled just about any offensive threat Ontario could muster. "When you've got two senior center backs there in Gary and Eric (Cao), they've been a part of what I feel is a very strong defense the last few years," Hosler said. "Then you throw Parker (Morton) in front of that, Hendrix (Early) stepping in outside, and Jamie (Stickney) has seen phenomenal improvement from last year to this stepping into that right back role. The whole back line is really gelling and working together."
For this young Warriors team who graduated seven from last year's squad, they had a bit of a wakeup call. "Our young guys got to see — I think Ashland's the best team in our area — the physicality and the speed of play, it's not how they used to play in rec or club," Ontario coach Stephen Armstrong said. "And really all summer, this is the best team we've seen, so we just gotta be quicker on the ball, picking up our heads and being able to use our bodies." His team was able to settle in for stretches of the second half, but at that point the game was out of reach. "We only have two seniors right now, so we're kind of relying on our juniors not just on the field, but also communication wise," Armstrong said. "That's the big thing we've been harping on, communication. And if we can get our juniors to be able to communicate and help the younger guys, I think we'll be able to play. "We're gonna be the underdogs because we're so young. Hopefully next week against Lexington our guys will be able to fix what we couldn't do tonight." zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ashland boys soccer routs Ontario in emphatic season opening win