Marshall University Athletics
Marshall and The Citadel Finishes with a 2-2 Draw
9/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 5, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University's women's soccer team kicked-off its 2008 season home opener with a 2-2 draw after two overtimes against The Citadel, Friday evening, at Sam Hood Field in the second match of the fourth annual Thundering Herd Nike Invitational. The Thundering Herd advanced to 2-0-1 overall while the Bulldogs are 0-2-1 so far this season.
"The Citadel fought hard and took advantage of our mistakes," Marshall's interim head coach Kevin Long said. "The Bulldogs had two great goals against us and played very well."
The Herd's sophomore Erika Duncan (Easthaven, Scotland) dribbled through defenders and drilled Marshall's first goal in the upper left corner at the 32:22 mark. Duncan's goal was her second of the season and she finished with three shots, two on goal. Teammate Erin Blakely (Westerville, Ohio) assisted on the play and also added four shots, two on goal.
Marshall began the second half strong with Missy Gordon's (Carmel, Ind.) chip shot into the far left corner from inside the box at 49:21. The sophomore's goal was her first of the season and added eight shots, five on goal.
"This wasn't the result we were looking for but we will grow from it," Marshall's second-year junior co-captain Liz Orton (Fort Collins, Colo.) stated. "We will fix our problems and be ready to move on Sunday."
The Citadel's Amy Loughran drilled one past Orton into the far side of the goal to put the Bulldogs on the board. Diana Martin assisted on The Citadel's goal in the 53rd minute.
Nikkita Persaud registered the tying goal in the 56th minute from a Jessa Scott pass into the lower left corner.
"We dominated play in the first half but forgot leads go away fast," coach Long added. "We need to be ready and bring everything on Sunday."
The Herd outshot the Bulldogs 28-to-11 with 19 being on goal. The Citadel ended with seven shots on goal.
The Friday evening contest was the first meeting in school history.
The Citadel's freshman keeper Laura Serafino registered a career-high 16 saves, while Orton finished with five saves in the draw.
In the first match of the invitational, Radford University shut out Mount St. Mary's University, 3-0. Action will resume Sunday with The Citadel facing Mount. St. Mary's at 11:30 a.m. The morning match will be a first-time meeting between the schools. The Bulldogs will be the considered the home squad on the scoreboard.
Marshall will close the invitational against the Highlanders with kick-off set for 2 p.m. at Sam Hood Field. In 2006, Marshall and Radford faced each other for the first-time, where the Highlanders took a close 1-0 decision in late September at Radford, Va.
GameTracker will be available for both matches by clicking the Marshall women's soccer schedule.
Herd fans can check out and purchase photos from the 2007 women's soccer season at http://herdsportsphotos.exposuremanager.com/ under "2007 Women's Soccer."
