Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
James Madison
Men's Soccer Blanks James Madison in Opener, 1-0
8/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 31, 2007
HARRISONBURG, Va. - Senior Avneet Shergill (Vancouver, Wash.) scored his second career goal late in the second half to lift the Marshall Thundering Herd men's soccer team over nonconference foe, James Madison University, 1-0 Friday evening at the JMU Soccer Complex during game one of the JMU Invitational.
The win improved Marshall to 1-0 as JMU fell to 0-1.
After a scoreless first half, the Herd finally got on the board with Shergill's goal. Fellow senior Jermaine Johnson (Kingston, Jamaica) weaved between two JMU defenders to create a low powerful cross to a running Shergill, who placed a hard shot volley in the low left corner eight yards out to record the game's lone goal at the 70th minute.
The Herd would rely on their defense the rest of the way to complete the win, while senior goalkeeper Brad Kennedy (Lewisburg, W.Va.) tallied eight saves and his first career shutout.
"We're pretty excited about the win, because we played a NCAA tournament type team on the road and came away with the victory," Marshall Head Coach Bob Gray said. "Right now we're looking forward to Georgetown on Sunday, because it's a chance to play a good team in the Big East Conference."
The Herd did suffer a major injury in the victory when senior Jeff Lenix (Westerville, Ohio), a preseason Conference USA First-Team nominee, went down with a bad ankle sprain in the first fifteen minutes of action. The Thundering Herd called upon freshman Kendall Sutton (Wheaton, Md.) to take the reigns in the center defensive back position. Playing in his first collegiate game, Sutton contributed to the Herd shutout.
Despite being held without a shot in the first half, the Herd managed seven second half shots with juniors Dana Heimbecker (Niagara Falls, Ontario) and Jira Cooley (Seattle, Wash.) leading the way with two shots a piece.
The victory marks the first defeat over the Dukes and extends the Herd's season opening win streak to three matches. The win also becomes the first season opening road victory since the 1992 season, when the Herd defeated American University, 1-0.
Marshall will rest up before taking on Big East opponent, Georgetown, Sunday, Aug. 2 at 2 p.m. at the JMU Soccer Complex to conclude the JMU Invitational.
