Marshall University Athletics
Monday, May 10
Cary, N.C.
1:00 PM
Marshall University
vs
Georgetown University
Photo by: Tyler Able
No. 10 Men’s Soccer Set for Elite 8 Match vs. No. 8 Georgetown
5/9/2021 11:03:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Kickoff from WakeMed Field #2 scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m.
CARY, N.C. – The 10th-ranked Marshall men's soccer journey through the NCAA Tournament continues in the Elite 8 on Monday, against the 8th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas. Kickoff from WakeMed Field #2 is set for 1 p.m.
The Thundering Herd comes in at 10-2-3 this season. The Hoyas enter at 10-1-2. The winner will face the winner of Wake Forest and North Carolina in the Final Four on Friday, May 14.
Match Details
Marshall Stats Packet (PDF)
Live Stream: GoHeels.com
Live Stats: NCAA.com
Series History: 1 previous meeting on Sept. 2, 2007 in Harrisonburg, Va. Hoyas won 1-0.
Last Time Out
Marshall is coming off an upset over the top-seeded Clemson Tigers in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Herd scored first as sophomore Max Schneider fired a shot off a free kick from about 30 yards away and curled it into the far top corner of the net in the 15th minute. Clemson tied the match in the 32nd minute. The teams battled throughout the rest of the match, with neither being able to break the 1-1 deadlock.
Junior goalkeeper Oliver Semmle made an incredible save late in the second half that helped keep the score tied and move on to overtime. Two overtime periods was not enough and so the match went to penalty kicks.
The Tigers converted its first three PKs. Marshall missed its first, but then made the next three to tie things back up as Clemson missed on its fourth attempt. The teams then traded shots back-and-forth. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Sirk buried a shot to tie the shootout again at 6-6. Semmle then made a great save going low to his left side that opened the door for the Herd. Junior Vitor Dias, the Conference USA Player of the Year and Offensive MVP as well as a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, stepped up and blasted a shot going to the far side.
The celebration ensued as Marshall advanced to the Elite 8 for the first time in program history.
The Opponent
The Georgetown Hoyas entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed. The Hoyas are the defending National Champions after taking down Virginia in penalty kicks in 2019. The match was tied at 3-3, and the Hoyas outlasted the Cavaliers 7-6 in the shootout.
This season, Georgetown didn't lose a match until the Big East Championship match, falling 2-1 to Seton Hall. In the NCAA Tournament, the Hoyas began with a 2-0 win over High Point in the second round and then defeated Penn State 3-2 in the Sweet 16.
Georgetown has outscored the competition 24-9 this year. The Hoyas have also outshot its opponents 197-96 and 81-43 on goal. Dante Polvara leads the team in scoring with eight goals, adds two assists and has 18 points. The sophomore scored one goal in the win over Penn State. Ten different players have scored at least one goal. Paul Rothrock and Kyle Linhares are tied for the lead in assists with four.
Giannis Nikopolidis has been the main player in the net with 941 minutes. He has allowed six goals, made 24 saves, sports a 0.57 goals against average and has a .800 save percentage. Nikopolidis also has six shutouts.
For all of the latest information on the Marshall men's soccer team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdMSoccer, Facebook at Marshall University Soccer and on www.herdzone.com.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
The Thundering Herd comes in at 10-2-3 this season. The Hoyas enter at 10-1-2. The winner will face the winner of Wake Forest and North Carolina in the Final Four on Friday, May 14.
Match Details
Marshall Stats Packet (PDF)
Live Stream: GoHeels.com
Live Stats: NCAA.com
Series History: 1 previous meeting on Sept. 2, 2007 in Harrisonburg, Va. Hoyas won 1-0.
Last Time Out
Marshall is coming off an upset over the top-seeded Clemson Tigers in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Herd scored first as sophomore Max Schneider fired a shot off a free kick from about 30 yards away and curled it into the far top corner of the net in the 15th minute. Clemson tied the match in the 32nd minute. The teams battled throughout the rest of the match, with neither being able to break the 1-1 deadlock.
Junior goalkeeper Oliver Semmle made an incredible save late in the second half that helped keep the score tied and move on to overtime. Two overtime periods was not enough and so the match went to penalty kicks.
The Tigers converted its first three PKs. Marshall missed its first, but then made the next three to tie things back up as Clemson missed on its fourth attempt. The teams then traded shots back-and-forth. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Sirk buried a shot to tie the shootout again at 6-6. Semmle then made a great save going low to his left side that opened the door for the Herd. Junior Vitor Dias, the Conference USA Player of the Year and Offensive MVP as well as a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, stepped up and blasted a shot going to the far side.
The celebration ensued as Marshall advanced to the Elite 8 for the first time in program history.
The Opponent
The Georgetown Hoyas entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed. The Hoyas are the defending National Champions after taking down Virginia in penalty kicks in 2019. The match was tied at 3-3, and the Hoyas outlasted the Cavaliers 7-6 in the shootout.
This season, Georgetown didn't lose a match until the Big East Championship match, falling 2-1 to Seton Hall. In the NCAA Tournament, the Hoyas began with a 2-0 win over High Point in the second round and then defeated Penn State 3-2 in the Sweet 16.
Georgetown has outscored the competition 24-9 this year. The Hoyas have also outshot its opponents 197-96 and 81-43 on goal. Dante Polvara leads the team in scoring with eight goals, adds two assists and has 18 points. The sophomore scored one goal in the win over Penn State. Ten different players have scored at least one goal. Paul Rothrock and Kyle Linhares are tied for the lead in assists with four.
Giannis Nikopolidis has been the main player in the net with 941 minutes. He has allowed six goals, made 24 saves, sports a 0.57 goals against average and has a .800 save percentage. Nikopolidis also has six shutouts.
For all of the latest information on the Marshall men's soccer team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdMSoccer, Facebook at Marshall University Soccer and on www.herdzone.com.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
---HerdZone.com---
Players Mentioned
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