Print |
E-mail to a friend
SPORTS
Herd men's soccer opens Wednesday
HUNTINGTON — Marshall University opens its men’s soccer season Wednesday against Xavier University at Sam Hood Field.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for youth under age 13. Marshall students are admitted free with a valid MU ID.
Marshall was 2-0 in exhibition matches.
Zach Hunter’s goal lifted Marshall past the University of Charleston, 1-0. Fayanga Keita and Ryan Kelly had goals in a 2-1 victory over Gardner-Webb.
Marshall has nine returning staring players from its 10-7-2 team in 2009 that went 6-2 for second place in Conference USA and lost to top-seeded Tulsa in the conference tournament finals.
Preseason All-Conference USA goalkeeper Daniel Withrow, a sophomore, made two saves in each match.
Withrow, the 2009 C-USA Freshman of the Year, allowed 17 goals in 16 matches for a 1.10 goals-against average. His 79.3 saves percentage was second-best in the conference. He also had the game-winning goal on a free kick against South Carolina.
Senior midfielder Mat Butler and senior defender Kendall Sutton were All-CUSA third team selections in 2009. Forward Tom Jackson and midfielder Devin Perkins made the C-USA All-Freshman Team
Marshall’s Bob Gray was the 2009 C-USA Coach of the Year.
The Thundering Herd posted a 6-1 record at home last season and outscored its opponents, 16-6. Overall, since Sam Hood Field opened in 1996, Marshall is 66-31-7 at home.
Xavier defeated Marshall last season in Cincinnati, 2-0.
The Musketeers went 2-1 in their exhibtions, beating Indiana (2-1) and Ohio Wesleyan (1-0) while losing to Oakland (3-2).
Gino Depaoli, a freshman midfielder, was named to the Preseason Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie Team.
