Triple-threat Friday Herd treat - Marshall posts wins in men's, women's soccer and volleyball
Erin Simmons (#32) leads women's soccer past Morehead State 2-0
MOREHEAD, Ky. — Freshman forward Erin Simmons scored twice Friday night at Jayne Stadium and led the Thundering Herd women’s soccer team past “I-64 Rival” Morehead State 2-0.
Marshall and Morehead State have played in many sports over the years, as the two schools are only one hour apart on Interstate 64 in West Virginia and Kentucky.
It was the 28th time a member of the Herd notched a pair of goals in the same game, and the first time since Erika Duncan struck twice against UTEP in 2011.
Marshall improved to 3-3 — getting its first road victory of 2012 — while Morehead State fell to 0-5-1.
Simmons, who scored in the 40th and 70th minutes, helped Marshall win back-to-back games for the first time since the team won three straight in October of 2010.
Kelly Culicerto, Chelsey Maiden, and Casey Walsh all took shots within the first minute of action for the Herd.
In the 40th minute, Brittany Entz fed a pass along the left side to Simmons who nailed the Herd’s first goal inside the penalty area.
Simmons would make it back to the penalty area 30 minutes later but in a more unconventional fashion.
After a foul in the penalty box from Morehead State, Simmons hit a penalty shot in the 70th minute for a 2-0 lead and win.
Marshall outshot Morehead State 16-5, including 7-4 in shots on goal.
Senior Chelsey Maiden led the Herd with four shots (three on goal), but it was Simmons that made the most of her three shots (all on goal).
Redshirt sophomore Holly Tilley managed three of MSU’s five shots, putting all three on goal.
The Marshall defense, led by goalkeeper Lindsey Kerns, provided its first shutout of the year.
Kerns recorded four saves compared to Floyd’s five for the Eagles.
The Herd will have the rest of the weekend off to prepare for next weekend’s two-game swing through northeast Ohio, when Marshall faces former Mid-American Conference foes Kent State (Friday) and Akron (Sunday).
Sammie Bane had 28 assists to lead Marshall to win in Kent, Ohio (courtesy of HerdZone.com)
Volleyball beats St. Francis, 3-0, at Kent State tourney
KENT, Ohio — Marshall started the Kent State Mizuno Tournament by flying past Saint Francis (Pa.) in the first match of the invitational.
The Herd swept by the Red Flash 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-15).
Marshall improved to 5-4 and won for the second straight match, while St. Francis dropped to 3-5 with the defeat.
The Thundering Herd was led by Laura Der with 13 kills.
She was one dig shy of her fifth double-double, recording nine digs.
The junior outside hitter opened up the match with nine kills and a .444 hitting percentage in the first set alone.
"Laura Der was very strong," said MU head coach Mitch Jacobs. "Our blocking was as good as it's been all season too."
The Marshall defense posted 7.0 total blocks compared to the Red Flash's 1.0.
Freshman middle blocker Jillian Shemanski helped the team with five block assists. She also posted five kills and a .556 hitting percentage on offense.
Sophomore Katie Potts set a career-high with four block assists during the match. Potts added six kills at the net as well.
The defense also contributed 45 digs and was anchored by libero Dorothy Rahal with 17.
The Herd defense forced St. Francis to 21 errors and a .056 hitting percentage.
"We played outstanding floor defense tonight led by Dorothy," Jacobs said.
"I also felt that Sammie Bane set a very intelligent match. It was a good start to the tournament; however we have two very tough back-to-back matches tomorrow."
Bane recorded 28 assists, giving her a season total of 301.
She finished the match with a season-high .406 assist percentage.
Marshall will face Kent State and Liberty in the final day of the Kent State Mizuno tournament tomorrow.
The Herd starts with the Flames of Liberty at 1 p.m. and closes with the Golden Flashes of Kent State at 5 p.m.
Eddy Prugh picks up second goal of year, scoring in second game in a row, and helping Herd to top Liberty at VMI tournament (courtesy of HerdZone.com)
Men’s soccer defeats Liberty 2-0, picks up fourth shutout in four matches
LEXINGTON, Va. — The Thundering Herd men's soccer team remained undefeated on the season (3-0-1) with a 2-0 win over Liberty University (1-2) in the opening game of the Jay Sculley Memorial Tournament at VMI's Patchin Field on Friday afternoon.
Senior forward Eddy Prugh netted his second goal of the campaign just four minutes into the match after a cross from junior midfielder Anthony Virgara.
Up 1-0, the Herd then doubled its lead in the 21st minute when Virgara gathered a loose ball to score his first goal of the season.
After the break, Liberty out shot the Herd 7-6 in the second half.
MU goal keeper Daniel Withrow, who has not allowed a goal in 380 minutes of action this season, made four saves on the afternoon to extend the Herd's shutout streak to four games.
The senior from Rochester Hills, Mich., also made a mark in the Marshall record books, becoming the Herd's all-time leader in career shutouts (16) after surpassing Taly Goode's (1997-2000) former record of 15.
The Marshall defense, led by Withrow, junior center backs Travis Brent and Cody Partyka, senior left back Fayanga Keita, and freshman right back Matt Freeman, also set another school record on Friday, tying the mark for the most consecutive shutouts by a Marshall team.
If the Herd manages to shutout VMI on Sunday, the squad will move ahead of the 1997 and 2005 teams with whom it sits tied at four consecutive shut outs.
"We got off to a fast start today, which is something we haven't done through the last couple of games," said Marshall head coach Bob Gray.
"We scored the first goal early, stayed on top of them, and managed to get a second goal midway through the first half. We had to hang on a little more than I would have liked in the second half when Liberty ramped-up the pressure, but in the end I am happy to beat a strong Liberty side that has some talented players. “It was a good win and I'm hoping to keep the momentum going. We got a lot of help from our bench today, which was crucial because it was brutally hot.
“We’re looking forward to cooling down and preparing for Sunday."
The Herd's other match in the Jay Sculley Memorial Tournament is scheduled to take place against hosts VMI on Sunday.
The Keydets last faced Marshall in a 2011 exhibition game and came away 2-1 winners.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
