The No. 2 Marshall men’s soccer team (5-0-0) is off to its best start in program history after knocking off the High Point Panthers 2-1 at home on Friday, Sept. 8.

The Herd got out to an early lead in the 10th minute after Alex Stjernegaard sent a corner kick into the box. The ball would deflect off of several players, but Alvaro Garcia-Pascual would head the ball off of a High Point defender and into the net for the first goal of the match.  Pascual’s goal in the contest marked his fourth consecutive match with a goal.

High Point would return after Toney Pineda notched his second goal of the season for the Panthers to tie the game 1-1 going into the half.

“It feels like I’ve just been through a fight to be fair,” Marshall Men’s Soccer Head Coach Chris Grassie said. “This was a tough one; it was probably the toughest one we’ve had here in a long time. That was a gritty win, and we got tested. High Point is very well coached.”

In the 56th minute, Marshall would strike again. Matthew Bell lobbed a through ball over the Panther defense to find Marco Silva. Silva launched the ball into the net to score the game-winning goal and put The Herd up 2-1.

Goalkeeper Gabriel Perrotta made two crucial saves in the first and second half to keep the Panthers from encroaching on The Herd’s lead.