BOTH PHOTOS: Marshall takes on Indiana during the third round of the NCAA men’s soccer tournament on Sunday at Jerry Yeagley Field in Bloomington, Ind.
Milo Yosef (left) moves the ball up the pitch as Marshall takes on Indiana during the third round of the NCAA men’s soccer tournament on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at Jerry Yeagley Field in Bloomington, Ind.
Marshall takes on Indiana during the third round of the NCAA men’s soccer tournament on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at Jerry Yeagley Field in Bloomington, Ind.
BOTH PHOTOS: Marshall takes on Indiana during the third round of the NCAA men’s soccer tournament on Sunday at Jerry Yeagley Field in Bloomington, Ind.
Milo Yosef (left) moves the ball up the pitch as Marshall takes on Indiana during the third round of the NCAA men’s soccer tournament on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at Jerry Yeagley Field in Bloomington, Ind.
Marshall takes on Indiana during the third round of the NCAA men’s soccer tournament on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, at Jerry Yeagley Field in Bloomington, Ind.
HUNTINGTON — While the teams, even down to the uniforms each side wore, were the same as when the Marshall and Indiana men’s soccer teams met in the 2020 NCAA College Cup Final, the feeling was completely different.
“We knew them very well but I think that was because of the scout and the hard work that (assistant coach) Josh (Faga) puts in to put that together,” Marshall head coach Chris Grassie said. “I thought we knew them well from that, not so much the National Championship.”
Grassie, who watched Marshall win their first and only national title over Indiana a mere 18 months ago, watched Sunday as the last remaining members of that team fell to the 13-seed Hoosiers in the third round of the 2022 NCAA tournament.
Two seniors on this year’s squad missed the match, as Gabriel Alves was serving a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation and Vinny Fernandez remained sidelined with an injury.
Those were two of eight seniors on the roster, five who played a significant role in the Herd’s 1-0 win against Indiana in the College Cup Final in May 2021.
“Those guys have a lot to be proud of,” Grassie said. “Everybody that comes after them stands on the shoulders of giants in this program because now the bar is national championship or we’re not happy and that’s an incredibly good place to be.”
While they fell short of that goal for the second consecutive year, there was still plenty of positives to look back on from the 2022 season. After a 1-1 start, Marshall earned wins or drew in 12 of their next 13 games to end the regular season.
With just two losses in the regular season, the next two would come in the postseason. James Madison downed the Herd in the Sun Belt Conference tournament after Marshall finished second in the standings and after two NCAA tournament wins, Indiana handed the team its fourth loss of the year in the third round.
“It was a decent year. We never quite put it all together like we could have. We were dangerous, had some dangerous players,” Grassie said. “We did some good things without ever being great. But they are a great bunch of guys and a great team.”
Marshall finished the year with 11 wins to four losses and four draws. Freshman Matthew Bell led the team in goals scored (10) and total points (24) while senior Milo Yosef trailed closely behind with eight goals and three assists (19 points). A total of 13 different players scored a goal for the Herd.
Senior goalkeeper Oliver Semmle appeared in all 19 games made 48 saves and allowed 14 goals but recorded six shutouts.
Luke Creasy is a reporter for The Herald-Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @LukeCreasy or reach him by phone at 304-526-2800.
