Marshall UniversityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Pablo Simon dribbles during a soccer match against James Madison on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 at Hoops Family Field in Huntington.
Marshall UniversityÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Pablo Simon dribbles during a soccer match against James Madison on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 at Hoops Family Field in Huntington.
HUNTINGTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” Marshall menÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s soccer coach Chris Grassie would have preferred a win Friday night over James Madison but leaving with a draw told him everything he needed to know about his side.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIt is very difficult to do, but this group shows maturity, they show an understanding,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Grassie said of the 2-2 result against the Dukes, who entered the match ranked No. 10 in the country. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThis has got me believing that weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re going to win championships this year.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Marshall was ranked five spots ahead of JMU in the polls but fell behind 2-0 in the second half after defensive miscues led directly to goals, one in the 14th minute and another in the 56th.
It put the home team in an uncomfortable position against a team that had allowed only three goals in eight matches to begin the year.
But Marco Silva and Joao Roberto each found the back of the net in the final 20 minutes of the match to help the Thundering Herd come away with the draw and remain at the top of the Sun Belt Conference standings with a 7-1-2 overall record and 2-0-1 clip against league foes.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIn every game, I donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t think weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve had a chance against us that hasnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t been our own mistake,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Grassie said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThe system is there, the guys know it. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s just decision making under pressure thatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s creating mistakes. WeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve got to cut that out now but weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ll live by the sword and die by the sword. If we keep the ball, it wears teams down and in the last 15 minutes, we were monsters.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
The Herd rotates goal keepers, using both Dan Rose and Aleksa Janjic, and each plays a key role in helping set up the offense with the ball often being played back to them in the 18-yard or goalie box.
Running the offense from that deep requires crisp passes and excellent ball control and when it works, it yields the desired result. But it has also been a reason Marshall has played from behind so often this season.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œSometimes itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s really hard to play like that, but we know thatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s really important for us to build our game that way,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ said Roberto, who netted the equalizer with under four minutes to play on Friday. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThe goal keeper is at risk, but we have so much quality (talent) that I know we can do better.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
It might slow the game down, but that doesnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t bother Grassie, who managed the match well and finally found the right combination of players by the end of it. Roberto was a late substitution, playing just six minutes but was a difference maker.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe had a couple of little tweaks in the second half, but we didnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t have to change much and then after we went two down, we had some major changes to how we sort of balanced our team, which was very good.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
The Herd returns to action 7 p.m. Friday at Central Florida. The match will stream on ESPN+.
Luke Creasy is a sports reporter for HD ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥. He can be reached by phone at 304-526-2800.
