Posted on September 4, 2007
Friday night the JMU men’s soccer team kicked off their season with a 1-0 loss to Marshall University at home. Senior midfielder Avneet Shergill scored the Thundering Herd’s only goal at the 70-minute mark.
The Dukes controlled possession for most of the game including 17 set plays within their own attacking third. They also out-shot the Thundering Herd 13-7, but couldn’t manage a goal.
“Corner kick after corner kick, shot after shot and we just came up empty,” Coach Tom Martin said. “When you are playing that well in soccer it has to translate into some goals.”
Madison struggled to find anyone to put the ball in the back of the net and continued to rotate players, some of who were seeing their first playing time at the college soccer level. That includes Ken Manahan, a freshman goalie who had his first career start.
“[The freshman] are working hard with lots of enthusiasm and I feel like this game was a learning process for them,” senior midfielder and captain Tristan Murray said. “I really liked the way Ken played tonight. I feel like as games go on he is going to get better and with more experience that is obviously a plus.
The coaching staff used six different players as forwards up front in hopes of finding a spark. Madison had multiple scoring opportunities, including a shot by junior forward Esteban Maldonado in the 36th minute that was denied from eight yards out by the Marshall senior goalkeeper, Brad Kennedy.
Madison had another opportunity with 25 minutes to go when Brian Young received a through pass from Nick Zimmerman. With two men on his shoulders Young tried to get off a quick shot, but Kennedy was there to deny Madison again.
“It’s a very disappointing loss especially since I felt we deserved to win,” Murray said. “It was one of those games where we just couldn’t find a way to put the ball in the back [of the net].”
Five minutes after Young’s opportunity though a JMU corner kick backfired as Marshall used it to quickly counter on the lazing Dukes. A run down the right side of the field opened up the middle of the field, allowing Shergill to sneak in and push it past a diving Manahan.
“We literally fell asleep from our attack, lost the ball, got beat in transition down the right side, kid pulled it back and we got caught ball watching and the kid finished it,” Coach Martin said. “Kenny got a hand to it but you can’t save them all.”
“I think we deserve better,” Martin said. “That’s a game we should have had and we didn’t and that’s the bottom line.”
The Dukes’ next home game is Friday , September 14 against Hartford. The Hawks opened their season Saturday with a 2-0 victory at Central Connecticut.
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