Marshall Women’s Soccer wrapped up its historic 2025 season Monday, Nov. 3, with a 1-0 loss to the University of Louisiana Monroe in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
The Warhawks took the lead in the 23rd minute on a goal from Ava Goodman, and despite Marshall controlling much of the possession, the Herd couldn’t find the goal to equalize.
Senior forward Bailey Fisher forced a save with a shot on goal in the 87th minute, but ULM held on to advance.
The loss ended one of the strongest seasons for the Herd, with the team finishing 8-5-4, earning its most wins since 2015 and its first postseason appearance since 2022. Marshall also recorded its most conference wins since 2016 and most goals in a season since 2001.
“Thanks Herd nation for the amazing support. Again you are our 12th player pushing us,” head coach Rafa Simoes said.
Simoes is in his second year as head coach for the team but before that served as an assistant coach to the men’s team under Chris Grassie for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
“The future looks bright for us,” Simoes said. “It’s a winning season for us. If you think about it, we’ve around 35 seasons, and only five are winning seasons, and we have the momentum from this season, but it’s also the players as well. I’m just a proud coach man.”
The Herd’s success was reflected in the Sun Belt season awards. Fisher, Alves and sophomore defender Fernanda Dantas were named to the All-Sun Belt Second Team, while senior defender Kajsa Ekstrom earned Third Team honors.
Dantas led the conference with 11 assists, ranking 11th nationally.
Fisher closed her career tied for fifth in the league with seven goals this season and sits third all-time at Marshall with 19 career goals.
Alves added five goals and three assists as a graduate transfer, and Ekstrom anchored a back line that posted seven shutouts while playing nearly every minute of the year.
Senior defender Angel Fowler also earned Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors after scoring a hat trick in the regular-season finale against Southern Miss.
Although the Herd’s tournament run ended early, the season marked a step forward for the Herd with Simoes and continues building the team toward long-term success.
Nate Harrah can be contacted at [email protected].
