Marshall Women’s Soccer
By Owen James, Training Coordinator
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WMUL-FM) — Despite her best efforts, reigning Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week Wiktoria Mikrut was kept off the scoresheet in Marshall’s (3-1-2) goalless draw against Murray State Thursday night at home.
The Polish sophomore forward earned conference honors after a week that saw her post a hat trick and a game-winning set-piece assist against Belmont and UT Martin, respectively. However, Mikrut put only one of her season-high nine shots on goal Thursday night, stifled by the Racers and by the muggy heat. That heat was a key player in a contest that featured constant back-and-forth action with frequent clashes for possession.
Play opened with a series of spirited possessions from Murray State, exploiting the Thundering Herd’s loose defense. A breakthrough almost came for the Racers in the 6th minute — a would-be goal off the foot of Breece Bass — but a handball wiped it away.
Marshall made sure to seize the change in momentum, winning two corner kicks and firing five shots over the next 20 minutes. However, the Thundering Herd was unable to break the ice, and the contest remained goalless entering a hydration break. Refreshed, Marshall kept the pressure high, earning four additional corners and lacing three shots without allowing the Racers a single shot.
Despite the continued attack, including shots on goal from Mikrut and Nicolle Navarro, Marshall could not find a goal in the first half. Murray State goalkeeper Griselda Revolorio was the true star of the half, making two saves and locking down the penalty box with punches and catches.
The second half opened with a flurry of shots from the Thundering Herd, but Murray State’s first shots of the game forced Marshall to stay cautious. A series of imaginative throw-ins gave the Racers space to work with, and momentum was finally building for the visitors.
After 70 minutes of blistering heat and smothering humidity, Murray State finally had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock — a daring cross from Gabby Ramdeen landed perfectly between Addison Howell and Marshall goalkeeper Emma Durand, about 10 feet
from the goal. The air that had been sucked out of Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex was replaced by a collective sigh of relief as Howell’s shot sailed well over the crossbar.
Howell’s miss would prove to be the final quality opportunity of the contest for either side. A trio of shots from Mikrut were blocked, and Durand easily collected the final shot of the game, a long-range loft from Bass.
The Herd statistically dominated the contest: 18 shots to Murray State’s five and seven corner kicks to none. Marshall head coach Rafa Simoes told his team to give themselves credit for an impressive game, even in a draw.
“I said to the team that sometimes you can control the performance, but you can’t control the result,” Simoes said. “Today we got the game we wanted. We outpossessed, we had entries in the box, we built the cake but couldn’t finish the job. I was still proud of the performance of the team — another clean sheet, our second in a row — and that is something we have been trying to improve.”
The Thundering Herd finished its home non-conference games undefeated, with a 2-0-1 record. Next on the schedule for Marshall women’s soccer is a road trip to Morgantown to take on No. 7 WVU Sunday at 7 p.m.