Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Men's soccer poll drop shows how expectations have changed
3/30/2021 11:53:00 PM | Men's Soccer, Word on the Herd
Marshall is No. 13 in rankings after winless week
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – After the Marshall men's soccer team tumbled out of the Top 10 in the national rankings following last week's road non-conference loss and home draw within the league, one might wonder: What's ailing the C-USA favorites?
The Thundering Herd followed a 1-0 loss at WVU on March 24 with a 1-1 tie against Old Dominion last Saturday, and the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll reflected the results. Marshall, after spending two weeks as the No. 8 team in the rankings, had fallen five spots to No. 13.
The disappointment from those outcomes didn't linger at the offices and locker room at Hoops Family Field. The doubts were short-lived. In fact, a deeper dive into what transpired during those two matchups should alleviate concerns and keep optimism high as Marshall (6-2-2) enters April, a month that will feature the conclusion of the regular season and start of the NCAA tournament.
"We're down in the rankings because we haven't won two matches that we played amazingly well and dominated," said Marshall head coach Chris Grassie, who is in his fourth season leading the program.
Grassie believes this team is playing better than the 2019 group that won the conference's regular season and tournament championship, ascended to No. 11 in the rankings and made a run to the NCAA tournament Sweet 16. This year's Herd has had more offensive chances, more possession and is leaning less on its keeper making incredible saves in order to prevail.
The challenge is how the team has finished its offensive opportunities, and that will determine how this team finishes the season.
Marshall is first nationally in shots and shots on goal, but No. 14 in goals and No. 22 in goals per game. Last week, while posting a 0-1-1 record against the Mountaineers and Monarchs, the Herd out-shot the adversary 33-9 and had a dominant 18-2 advantage in corner kicks. MU had a 21-5 advantage on shots in a tie with ODU, including 7-0 in 20 minutes of overtime periods. The Herd had a 13-0 advantage versus the Monarchs in corner kicks, including 4-0 in the two overtimes.
Even so, the winless week forced Marshall to No. 13 in the national poll in Week 5. Prior to the unprecedented 2019 season, the Herd had spent exactly one week in the Top 25 in program history. But by Week 7 of 2019, Marshall had cracked the rankings and hasn't left since. In the span of less than two seasons, the bar has been raised and re-raised so that a drop in the Top 25 sounds the alarm of concern.
"It's funny that we're frustrated by that now," Grassie said, "but it does show how far we've come."
Marshall has three regular season matches remaining, all Conference USA contests, two of which are at home. The Herd hosts Florida Atlantic this Saturday at 11 a.m., travels to UAB on Saturday, April 10 and then concludes the regular season Sunday, April 18 against Charlotte. The regular season finale could be for the regular season C-USA crown and accompanying NCAA tournament berth, as there is no conference tournament this season.
"Still the season is all in our hands," Grassie said, "And once we click, we can be a very dangerous team."
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).