Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Men's soccer team motivated as title defense begins
11/21/2021 9:06:00 AM | Men's Soccer, Word on the Herd
Marshall faces Providence in the NCAA Second Round on Sunday afternoon
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Two years ago this month, as the Marshall University men's soccer team prepared to play in the program's first Sweet 16 in a match at the University of Washington, head coach Chris Grassie roamed the pitch inside the Huskies' indoor practice facility in Seattle, Washington.
Along one wall, a large banner proudly displayed Washington's two football national championships – the first in 1960, and the second in 1991. The trophies from both titles split the real estate across the bottom of the banner.
Here, fewer than two years later, Grassie is five matches away from adding a second piece of national hardware to his program's trophy case. The Thundering Herd begins its march to a consecutive national championship today at 1 p.m., in a match that will be broadcast on ESPN+, a production of the HerdVision Digital Network. The opponent will be Providence, which ousted Marist on Thursday night in the first round of the 48-team event.
The day after Grassie saw the banner with two national titles, Marshall was eliminated from the 2019 NCAA tournament. That's the last time the Herd has lost an NCAA tournament match. Marshall (11-3-3) enters the NCAA Second Round as the No. 14 seed, earning one of the event's 16 byes. The Herd lost only one of its first 15 matches before struggling in its regular season finale and the C-USA tournament, which triggered a spiral from No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 to a surprising seed.
"It was nice to be seeded," Grassie said on the day of the Selection Show. "Last week we were thinking we would be a top four seed and then we have a bad week and we're lucky to be seeded. Happy to be in the tournament and happy to have at least one game here with these fans so we can celebrate with them and hopefully get to perform and entertain the great fans who have helped us all the way through."
Historically, Marshall faces long odds at repeating as national champions. Since 2003, when the NCAA increased the number of seeded teams to 16, there has not been a national champion as a 14 seed. There have been two 16 seeds win it all, but the next closest see was No. 11. The rest of the champions came from single-digit seeds.
But here's the good news: Marshall's track record is much better than a 14 seed. The Herd has been in the national rankings for 28 consecutive weeks, starting with the Oct. 15, 2019 poll. The last time Grassie's club was ranked as low as its 14 seed was on Nov. 5, 2019.
This season, Marshall's ranking never dipped below No. 10, and the Herd was in the top five in nine of 12 weeks overall. Marshall was No. 1 as recently as 12 days ago, before the 4-1 loss at FIU factored into the voters' minds.
"We can have a little chip on our shoulder about that," Grassie said. "At this point, we know we can beat anybody."
Marshall showed that in the 2020 NCAA tournament, which was played in the spring after the season was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Herd knocked off defending national champion Georgetown, No. 1 seed Clemson, host North Carolina and, finally, Indiana in the national championship. No NCAA men's soccer program has won more titles than the Hoosiers.
Beginning today, the Thundering Herd men's soccer program will begin the march to a second star above the logo. The team's coaches, staff and players were given rings prior to Monday's Selection Show, a reminder of the potential for the team that opened the season atop the national rankings.
"We have to use the last week and the Selection Show as fuel," Grassie said. "We have to defend our tile – we're the champs until somebody takes it from us."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a nine-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).