Sean Kelly
9/3/2024
After falling to Xavier in a 2-0 road loss, the No. 2 nationally ranked Marshall Thundering Herd avenged its shutout loss on Monday as it returned to Hoops Family Field against the Loyola (MD) Greyhounds.
The Greyhounds began by quickly taking advantage of a slow-moving Thundering Herd defense. Stealing a short clear attempt by Herd goalkeeper Aleksa Janjic, midfielder Sean McEvoy put the Greyhounds on the board just 52 seconds into the contest.
Though Marshall started the game in a 1-0 hole, the home side soon erased the deficit by attacking in the box. In the fifteenth minute, a Richie Nichols handball led to a penalty kick goal by Rai Pinto that tied the contest. Two minutes later, freshman Loïc Sany Kong made a name for himself by scoring his first collegiate goal to give Marshall a 2-1 lead.
Not far removed from a 2023 season in which Loyola’s defense ranked 21st nationally, Marshall’s offensive attack scored a record number of goals against Loyola’s highly-touted defense. Marco Silva and Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos added two more goals to Marshall’s tally, giving the Herd a 4-1 lead at the half.
During the final 45 minutes, the Herd played a more defensive minded game, only giving up one shot attempt to Loyola through the second half. However, that did not spell the end for the Herd offense. During the final 10 minutes of play, Aymane Sordo and Pablo Simon found opportunities close to Loyola’s net, leading to a 6-1 victory for the Herd.
Marshall improves to 2-1 overall, scoring its most goals in a game since its 6-1 victory over Coastal Carolina this past October. Meanwhile, Loyola (MD) falls to an 0-2-1 record after allowing its most goals as a team since a 6-1 loss to Syracuse in October 2022.
Marshall men’s soccer battles the High Point Panthers Friday evening at Hoops Family Field for game two of a four game home stretch. You can catch the game on WMUL-FM, as Ethan Peltier and Nate Courtney will be on the call. Pregame coverage begins at 7:00 pm with game time at 7:15.