The No. 7 ranked Marshall Men’s Soccer came through with a win 2-1 against the Old Dominion University Monarchs, making their season record 7-1-1 and 2-0-0 in conference play. The game took place on Sunday, Sept. 29, at Hoops Family Field.

“I thought it was a tough game. ODU has vastly improved from last year,” head coach Chris Grassie said. “They were really tough competitors. The game could have gone either way, and I’m really proud of our guys.”

“I thought there was a moment in the second half where we were amazing; we played really well,” he went on to say. “Those are the moments that we need to take the game. We didn’t do that, and then it became a battle, but I’m proud of our guys for winning the battle.” 

After a delayed start to the game, the game was able to start at 4:45 p.m.

Both offenses struggled at first with only one shot from Marshall. Old Dominion served better with five shots, with only two shots on goal between the two teams in the first half. 

Goalkeeper Aleksa Janjic was able to save a Monarch penalty kick with one minute remaining in the first half to keep the game scoreless going into the second half of the game.

Marshall scored the first goal of 

the game just nine minutes into the second half when Aymane Sordo sent a pass to Pablo Simon, who sent it through the cross, and Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos shot it to the back of the net to bring the score 1-0 for Marshall.

Old Dominion was able to battle back as Marcelo Randolf kicked a pass to Key White who raced down the field and sent the ball through the net as the Monarchs drew even at 1-1 at the 74-minute mark.

In the 85th minute of the match, Taimu Okiyoshi kicked a corner kick in, and Aleksandar Vukovic headed the ball for a shot on target, but the Old Dominion goalkeeper was able to save it. However, Marco Silva was able to get the ball back and tap the ball into the net to regain the lead. 

Silva’s goal led Marshall to take the win and stay undefeated in conference play.

“We have to ride the rhythm a little bit better, so when we have possession of the ball and we are pulling apart, we have to stick with it, and then we have to be on our toes for when the other team counter attacks. Like today, ODU had a lot of pace,” Grassie said.

There were four yellow cards in the first half, all on Marshall, and 3 yellow cards in the second, all on Old Dominion; there were no red cards or ejections.

Old Dominion held a 12-7 advantage in shots and a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks while both teams had three shots on goal. 

“JMU has some attacks, so we have to be prepared for that, but if we can control the ball and control the game, we don’t have to worry so much about the counter attacks,” Grassie said.

The Thundering Herd faces the James Madison University Dukes to continue conference play Friday, Oct. 4, at Hoops Family Field. The game is scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m.

Nate Harrah can be contacted at [email protected]