Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Men's Soccer Falls To #3 Maryland, 6-0
9/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Marshall Men's Soccer Falls To #3 Maryland, 6-0
9/5/2004
- Box Score
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - A six goal performance by the third ranked Maryland Terrapins led them to a 6-0 shutout win over the Thundering Herd men's soccer team Sunday at the Virginia Soccer Classic.
The game got off to a rough start for the Herd (0-2) as Maryland (2-0) scored two minutes into the game on a penalty kick by Abe Thompson. Just over a minute later, A.J. Godbolt, with an assist from Thompson, scored to make it 2-0.
Maryland added three more goals in the first half to take a 5-0 lead into the break. The five goals came on 13 shots. Thompson and Jason Garey each had two goals in the half for UM.
Not only was Maryland's offense strong, but their defense was also stout, limited the Herd to three shots in the half.
The Herd stepped things up in the second half, outshooting Maryland, 9-4. Even though their shot total went up, the Terps defense held the Herd scoreless for the second straight game.
"Maryland is a very good team and they showed it. The penalty kick early in the game set us off track, and it took until the second half for us to get into our game," Coach Bob Gray said. "They scored some great goals in the first half, but our guys played hard and that showed in the second half."
Michael McDonald (Luton, England) led MU with four shots. Firas Al-Samarraie (Malmoe, Sweden) and Kirk Gibson (Allen, TX) each had two shots. Joe Nebel (Brentwood, TN) played the first half in goal, giving up five goals on 13 shots. Sophomore Greg Terhune (Indianapolis, IN) was in goal for the second half giving up a goal on four shots.
Despite the scores from the tournement, the Herd did have several players perform well. Senior Firas Al-Samarraie and junior Jared Dombrowski (Pickerington, OH) were recognized for their efforts at the tournament, being named to the 2004 Virginia Classic All-Tournament Team. Abe Thompson of Maryland was named the tournament MVP.
With the toughest part of the schedule over, Coach Gray and the team will now focus on the University of Central Florida Tournament next weekend and the upcoming Mid-American Conference schedule. "We knew coming in that it would be tough, but it will get a lot better from here, we have this week to regroup and move on," Gray said. "It was a good experience for our guys to play against this type of competition and should help us down the road."
The Herd will travel to Orlando to participate in the UCF Tournament starting Friday at 8 p.m. when they take on the UCF Golden Nights. In the second game of the tournament, the Herd will take on Florida Atlantic at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The home opener for MU will take place on Saturday, September 18 when Marshall will play host to the Cleveland State Vikings at 2 p.m. at Sam Hood Field.
