Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Wright State
Marshall Drops Season Opener to Wright State
8/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug. 26, 2011
Final Stats (PDF)
XENIA, Ohio- The Wright State Raiders edged by the Thundering Herd men's soccer team on Friday night thanks to a 55th minute penalty kick from Derek Zuniga.
Both teams managed an equal eight total shots with three on-goal apiece, but only Wright State was able to convert following a foul in the box by Marshall defender Jahvon Allison. The freshman from Kingston, Jamaica, brought down a man in the box after a failed clearance attempt by the Herd defenders. Zuniga then stepped up to the spot and slotted home his team's season opening goal beyond the reach of goalkeeper Daniel Withrow.
Despite creating several early chances, Marshall's offense sputtered as the game went on, and the team was unable to open its 2011 scoring account on the night. Junior midfielder Tom Jackson came closest by leading the Herd with three shots, while forward Eddy Prugh was second with two.
"I would say it was a pretty even match," said Marshall Head Coach Bob Gray. "I don't think we played exceptionally well, but you have to give credit where credit is due. Wright State played harder than us tonight and wanted some revenge from our 2-0 win last season."
The loss means the Herd begins the 2011 season at 0-1, following an 0-2 preseason that saw the team fall 1-2 to VMI and 1-5 to Pittsburgh.
"Defensively we were better tonight than we were in the preseason," said Gray. "Offensively, though, we need to play more as a team and create some better chances. We had a few early chances but didn't put them away."
The Herd's next chance to create those chances will be at Xavier on Thursday night, when the team travels to Cincinnati, Ohio, for a 7:00 p.m. match.
