Women’s Soccer Recap<\/p>\n
By: Owen James Training Coordinator, FM88 Sports<\/p>\n
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WMUL-FM) \u2014 Some need an alarm clock to wake up. Others, a hot cup of black coffee. Marshall head coach Rafa Simoes and his squad needed the impending end of an unbeaten home conference streak dating back to 2024.<\/p>\n
After conceding with less than five minutes to go, Larissa Ozorio found her jolt with a shot that salvaged a 2-2 draw for Marshall Women’s Soccer (6-2-4, 2-0-2 SBC) against Georgia Southern (7-2-3, 2-1-1 SBC) on Sunday. The game was dictated by late-game heroics; Georgia Southern\u2019s two goals came in the final 10 minutes, well after Marshall opened the scoring late in the first half.<\/p>\n
Simoes said his team had no trouble handling the Eagles\u2019 attack for most of the contest but began to falter under pressure in crunch time. \u201cI felt really happy with the first half,\u201d Simoes said. \u201cSecond half until the last 15, I was really happy. We don’t like giving up on set pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, Marshall almost got on the scoresheet right out of the gate. After dominating possession early on, the Herd earned a corner kick that found Delfina Lombardi, who fired a blazing header right at Olivia Golden. The ball made it halfway over the goal line but was cleared away at the last moment.<\/p>\n
Despite Georgia Southern\u2019s pressure, the Herd refused to let up. By the 28th minute, Marshall had taken all five corner kicks of the game, including a couple more close calls. However, the Herd got on the board in open play, as a blocked shot off the foot of Delfina Lombardi bounced around Georgia Southern\u2019s penalty box before being collected by Luana Gusmao. Gusmao crossed Eagles keeper Quinn Wilson up with a blazing shot into the bottom left corner of the net, giving Marshall a 1-0 lead at 32:28.<\/p>\n
Herd control and a stifled Georgia Southern counterattack defined the rest of the first half, and Marshall headed to the locker room with confidence. The Herd fired three shots on goal and earned five corner kicks in the period, while the Eagles had none in either category. It was clear Georgia Southern head coach Chris Adams had to find a way for his team to create and capitalize upon opportunities.<\/p>\n
And in the early goings of the second half, the Eagles had no problem creating goalscoring opportunities. The only holdup, however, was the capitalizing part. Time and time again, Georgia Southern found open field ahead, but a mistimed cross, errant shot, or a simple turnover stopped the attack dead in its tracks.<\/p>\n
However, a breakthrough finally came for the Eagles when Sun Belt Conference assist leader Addison Comer checked back into the game. Comer played the ball off a Herd player and out of bounds deep in Marshall\u2019s end, forcing Georgia Southern\u2019s second corner of the game. A perfectly placed pass from Maryann Beach found Claire Casey, who knocked it in at 81:31 to level the score at 1-1.<\/p>\n
Comer was not finished yet, however, and led the Eagles\u2019 attack just minutes later, delivering a picture-perfect cross past a disoriented Marshall defense to Kaitlin Cook, who fired it home at 86:18 to give Georgia Southern a shocking 2-1 lead. In just under five minutes, Comer silenced the home crowd, helping put her team ahead while extending her conference-leading assist total to seven.<\/p>\n
Just then, something switched on in Marshall\u2019s offense. Taking control of the game with pace, the Herd brought the ball up the pitch with less than two minutes remaining. Marshall quickly found an opening, and a savvy cross from Nicole Navarro found Larissa Ozorio one-on-one with the keeper and only a split second to decide where to shoot. Ozorio fired toward the bottom left corner, and Wilson managed to get a hand on it, but the screamer deflected into the goal at 88:37.<\/p>\n
Now even at 2-2 with a minute remaining, Marshall managed to make one last push and set up a one-on-one between Luana Gusmao and Wilson, but an offside flag killed the play. Time expired as the Herd pulled out a 2-2 draw in the very final stages of the game, warding off Georgia Southern\u2019s stunning late surge. Gusmao (32:28) and Ozorio (88:37) scored for Marshall, while Casey (81:31) and Cook (86:18) found the net for the visiting Eagles.<\/p>\n
Simoes praised Georgia Southern head coach Chris Adams, but said he believed his side could have found a way to break through and win the game. \u201cI think we could have got the second and finished the job, and we didn’t,\u201d Simoes said. \u201cBut it’s part of the game.\u201d Simoes also cited the \u201chome factor” as critical to Marshall\u2019s unbeaten home conference streak, which now spans 11 matches.<\/p>\n
It takes guts to turn a rude awakening into sweet relief.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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