Marshall University Athletics
Herd Opens Season at Appalachian State and Davidson
8/29/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Aug 29, 2013
Game Notes
MATCH 1: Marshall at Appalachian State | Friday, Aug. 30 - 7 p.m.
Location: Boone, N.C.
Site: Appalachian State Soccer Stadium
Live Stats: GoASU.com
MATCH 2: Marshall at Davidson | Sunday, Sept. 1 - 7 p.m.
Location: Davidson, N.C.
Site: 1992 Team Field at Alumni Stadium
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/davidson/msoc/ | Live Video: DavidsonWildcats.com/showcase/
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall men's soccer will open its 34th season with road matches against Southern Conference members Appalachian State and Davidson on Friday, Aug. 30 and Sunday, Sept. 1, respectively. Both games are at 7 p.m.
Coming off of a 4-1 exhibition defeat at No. 8 Akron (Aug. 20), Marshall will look to build from the experience of playing against a team that made its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament round of 16 appearance in 2012. The Zips won the 2010 national championship.
A 2-0 exhibition win over a team of Marshall alumni (Aug. 23) at the Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex grand opening did not prove much, but did give Coach Bob Gray an opportunity to see his freshman-laden roster in action before the season began.
Having played its 2012 season without a place to call home, Marshall started with a 10-1-1 mark, but the Herd struggled down the stretch by dropping four of its last five matches to finish 11-5-1 -- and one win shy of making the cut for the six-team Conference USA Tournament field.
Marshall is set to begin its 2013 campaign on the road for its first four regular-season contests after compiling a 5-3-1 road record last season. In addition to posting a winning road record, the Herd outscored opponents 13-4 in the nine road contests in 2012.
The Thundering Herd will look to be victorious in its second straight season opener as Marshall downed Wright State, 2-0, in last year's opener.
The Herd hopes to get off to its best start through its first two contests of the season since 2010, when Marshall opened the year with a win over Charleston (W.Va.) and a scoreless draw with Xavier.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Appalachian State was picked to finish fifth in the Southern Conference Preseason Poll by the league's coaches while also collecting one first place vote. Appalachian State also had defender Harrison Delbridge named to the SoCon Preseason All-Conference Team.
In 2012, the Mountaineers posted an 8-7-4 mark, finishing 3-2-2 in SoCon play (sixth place).
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Also a SoCon member, Davidson was selected to finish in last place (seventh) in the SoCon Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Wildcats finished 2012 with a 6-11-1 record (2-5, last in the conference).
SERIES HISTORY
Marshall trails Appalachian State 16-3-3 in the all-time series. With the last meeting a 6-0 Marshall victory on Oct. 19, 1996, the Herd will look to win back-to-back games against Appalachian State for the first time in the series history.
Davidson leads Marshall 13-7-1 in series history, with the last meeting on Sept. 6, 1998. The Herd fell to the Wildcats on the road in overtime by a score of 2-1 during that '98 contest.
In-game Twitter updates (@HerdMSoccer), results and a recap from the day's action will be available at www.HerdZone.com.
---HerdZone.com---
