3,075 fans packed Hoops Family Field
In front of a Hoops Family Field record 3,075 fans on Senior Night, the No. 1 Marshall University men’s soccer team (8-0, 2-0 Sun Belt) shutout the No. 3 UCF Knights (4-1-2, 0-1-1 Sun Belt), 1-0, Saturday night.
The previous stadium record was 3,033 fans on September 17, 2021, against West Virginia.
“Fair play to UCF, I thought they played really well tonight,” Herd men’s soccer head coach Chris Grassie said after the match. “They shouldn’t have been in that possession to begin with (on their disallowed goal). We should have put the game away earlier. We had a couple of great chances in the second half to put the game away and we don’t get into this drama.”
The difference in the match proved to come in the 25th minute. Marshall went on the attack as Pablo Simon raced down the right wing. Simon sent in a cross and found Adam Aoumaich at the far post as he slipped it past the UCF keeper for his fourth goal of the season.
“Pablo and I know each other with that pass,” Aoumaich said of Simon’s cross. “I knew it was coming. I used my left foot. I don’t use it that much, but I got it today.”
UCF nearly tied the contest in the waning seconds. Knights defender Zane Bubb came from behind Gabriel Perrotta and tackled the ball away from him finding AJ Seals who sent the ball into the open night.
However, after a referee meeting and a review, Bubb was ruled to have committed an illegal tackle after going out-of-bounds and coming into play taking the goal off the scoreboard.
Perrotta recorded his fourth shutout of the season with three saves to keep UCF off the board.
NEXT UP
No. 1 Marshall travels to VCU on Wednesday to close out non-conference play at 7 p.m. in Richmond, Virginia.
To donate to the Championship Fund for Marshall men’s soccer, please click HERE. All proceeds go directly to the Marshall men’s soccer team.
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**Press release from HERDZONE: 9/24/2023 12:38:00 AM | Men’s Soccer