Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
SMU
Herd Soccer Downs SMU 4-1
10/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 10, 2009
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - It was a dominating performance on Saturday night at Sam Hood as the Marshall University men's soccer team tallied four goals, three in the second half, and defeated the SMU Mustangs by a mark of 4-1.
The win improves Marshall to 6-4-1 overall and 3-0 in conference, giving them nine points and keeping them in first place. SMU drops to 5-5-1 overall and 1-1-1 in Conference USA action.
"It was the best concerted effort for 90 minutes this season," head Coach Bob Gray said. "We just took it to them tonight. Physically we wanted it a little more than they did. Some people don't realize that SMU is one of the premier programs in the country, but we came out and just played better than they did."
Freshman Tom Jackson got the scoring started 29 minutes into the first half when he found a loose ball at the top of the SMU box and ripped a shot off the post past a diving Craig Hill. It was Jackson's second goal of the season and it gave the Herd a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Just three minutes into the second half, junior Sammy Boateng drew a foul on the Mustangs inside their own 18-yard box, giving MU a penalty kick on which Dustin Dawes cashed in on. The goal increased the Herd lead to 2-0.
Marshall's third goal came in beautiful fashion on combination passing. After a wonderful build up on the left side, a wide-open Zach Hunter was the beneficiary of a Devin Perkins cross which he just tucked under the cross bar. The time of the goal was 73:04.
"That goal will be shown over and over again, that was as pretty as they come," said Gray.
The Thundering Herd kept pouring it on as junior Matt Butler ripped a shot past Hill for the fourth MU goal of the night five minutes later. Butler beat two SMU defenders and cracked a left footed shot which found the back of the net for Butler's third goal of the season.
SMU's Joe cooper got one back for the Mustangs in the 81st minute, but it was much too little and much too late for SMU to mount a comeback.
The penalty kick gave Dawes his league-leading sixth goal of the year, along with his league-leading fourth game-winning goal.
Thundering Herd goalie Daniel Withrow had five saves on the night, but none bigger than saving a penalty kick when MU had a 2-0 advantage halfway through the second half. Withrow has a 4-2-1 record in net for the Herd with a 0.85 goals-against average.
"Nobody picked us to be 3-0 and leading the conference," Gray said. "We are young and some of these guys don't realize how good they are."
The Herd takes the pitch again this Wednesday when it welcomes the University of Charleston to Sam Hood Field for a non-conference match up. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
