The 10th-seeded Marshall women’s soccer team pulled off an improbable win in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament on Halloween Sunday, beating Appalachian State 2-1. 

Halloween spirit was in the air in Foley, Alabama, when Marshall took the pitch against the Mountaineers. A defensive stranglehold presented by both teams in the first half left the match scoreless until the final minute of the first half. App State found the back of the net right before half, getting past Herd goalkeeper Alexis Wolgemuth. 

Despite coming up just short on multiple scoring opportunities in the first half, Marshall’s Makai Laguines broke the door open with a ripping goal to bring the contest back to a 1-1 tie in the 59th minute. Her teammate, Morgan White, had kept her foot on the proverbial pedal for the entirety of the first half but did not capitalize. This goal changed that, bringing the tilt back to an even score. 

Fast forward to overtime, with the conference rivals still looking to break the tie and move to the tournament’s second round. It was all Kat Gonzales from there, with her leading the way to what felt like a surefire game-winning goal. Surely enough, Gonzales scored for the Herd in the 91st minute and sealed the deal for the underdog Herd. Such a solid team performance in the face of adversity put a smile on Marshall women’s soccer head coach Michael Swan, with Swan exclaiming, “What a way to win it with the goal Kat [Gonzales] scored, wow!”

This big win pushes Marshall into the tournament quarterfinals, setting up a date with South Alabama on Wednesday.