10-28-24
This past Sunday, Marshall women’s soccer faced the James Madison Dukes at Hoops Family Field, needing to at least tie in order to stay in contention for the final spot in the upcoming Sun Belt Conference tournament.
Following a scoreless tie against the Old Dominion Monarchs in which Marshall only recorded one shot through the 90-minute affair, Sunday’s contest started in opposite fashion for the Herd’s offensive attack.
In the fifth minute, Thundering Herd defenseman Kajsa Ekstrom set up midfielder Elodie Metho with a through ball, as Metho curved a shot to the left of a diving Sophia DeCerb to give the home side a 1-0 lead. The fifth minute goal proved to be Marshall’s second fastest goal of the season, only topped by a third minute goal by Ebony Leckey during Marshall’s Sept. 29 contest versus the Troy Trojans.
However, the Dukes responded just as quickly in the 11th minute, as Amanda Attanasi received a pass from Ginny Lackey, finding herself with open space on the right side of the 18-yard box to tie the match at 1-1.
The rest of the first half continued at the same back-and-forth pace. In the 35th, Marshall retook the lead thanks to Katie Porter’s first goal of the season. A minute later, Dukes midfielder Tali Rovner collected a pass at the edge of the 18-yard box from Ellie Farrell, tying the match at 2-2.
Statistically, Marshall outshot James Madison by a slim 6-5 margin, while JMU led in shots on goal by a tally of 3-2. Though the home side was able to match a James Madison team that leads the Sun Belt in goals scored, the Dukes’ defense limited Marshall’s offensive opportunities exiting halftime.
Through much of the second half, JMU held Marshall to one shot and kept possession in the home side’s defensive half as it fired seven total shots at Herd goalkeeper Alexis Wolgemuth. As the visitors continued to apply pressure on Marshall’s defense, it finally broke through in the 51st minute with a goal by Dukes midfielder Sophia Verrechia.
In the final 45 minutes, the Herd recorded three total shots but no shots on goal. Despite an improved offensive attack, the Thundering Herd never held a lead for more than six minutes, as the Dukes left Huntington with a narrow 3-2 victory.
Following the loss, Marshall drops to a 3-7-5 overall record and 1-4-4 conference record. With 7 conference points, the Herd fall four points behind Southern Miss for the eighth seed in the conference tournament heading into its final matchup versus Louisiana this Thursday. Meanwhile, James Madison improves to a 10-3-3 record and remains undefeated in conference play, securing the first seed in November’s SBC tournament.