Marshall Women’s Soccer Preview
By: Ethan Patrick, FM88 Sports
Marshall women’s soccer returns home Sunday afternoon for one of its biggest Sun Belt Conference tests of the season, hosting James Madison at Hoops Family Field. First touch is set for 3 p.m. with both teams entering the matchup unbeaten through two conference games.
The Thundering Herd (5-2-3, 1-0-1) opened conference play with a 1-1 draw against Louisiana Tech before earning a 2-1 road victory at Troy on Thursday.
Marshall has gotten production from throughout its lineup this season. Nine different players have scored at least once, led by Wiktoria Mikrut with five goals and two assists. Marshall has scored 17 goals through its 10 matches while allowing 14.
James Madison (4-4-1, 2-0-0) began conference play with a dominant 5-0 win at Southern Miss before earning a 1-0 shutout against ULM on Thursday. JMU has now won three straight matches and has not allowed a goal in either of its conference games.
The Dukes were selected as the preseason favorites to win the Sub Belt Conference, giving Sunday’s matchup added significance early in the conference season. JMU forward Ginny Lackey was also named the conference’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. She has backed that recognition with four goals and two assists so far this season, including a game-winning goal against ULM.
Lackey is not the only offensive threat Marshall will have to account for. Holly Minshull has scored three goals, while Ellie Farrell has two goals and two assists. As a team, the Dukes have scored 13 goals and recorded 43 corner kicks.
With both teams unbeaten in conference play, Sunday’s match provides an early opportunity for either side to establish itself near the top of the Sun Belt standings. Marshall will look to continue its strong home form, while JMU will try to extend its three-match winning streak and maintain its perfect start to conference play.
The Match will be available on 88.1 WMUL-FM or online on Stream 1 at www.marshall.edu/wmul. FM88 Sports Antyhony Doria and Lucas Mitchell are on the call with pregame starting at 2:45 p.m. The FM88 Sports Team X account, @WMUL_Sports, will also give live updates of the game.