— By David Walsh
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall had a chance to grab the momentum in the second minute of the match Monday night against Wright State at Hoops Family Field/Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex.
Alvaro Garcia-Pascual got awarded a penalty kick when teammate Takahiro Fujito drew a persistent infringement call in the box on Rody Harrison, but Raiders goalkeeper Natan Admassu made a diving stop to deny the Thundering Herd with the match just 1:14 old.
Not to worry, Marshall’s Marco Silva converted a long run into the first goal when he went coast-to-coast and sent a shot off the right foot by Admassu at 18:39. He would score two more first-half goals for the team’s second individual hat trick in two matches with Garcia-Pascual getting the assist on one.
Matthew Bell, who had a hat trick in the Herd’s season-opening 4-0 win over Oakland, tallied at 25:48 as the home team delighted the home crowd of 1,135 with a 4-0 lead at the break. Garcia-Pascual, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, would scored his first goal when he sent a corner from Aymane Sordo at 69:11 into the net to ice a 5-0 victory.
Garcia-Pascual earlier had a goal wiped away by an offside call.
Silva was happy to get the momentum in the Herd’s favor with his opening goal.
“Saw the space in front of me,” Silva said. “Tried to push it. I cut inside and took the shot. More of a reaction. It’s a magical feeling. I was so happy for Matthew in the first match. I’m sure he’s happy for me. We’re happy for each other.”
“He’s a very good athlete,” Marshall coach Chris Grassie said of Silva. “He does all the right things. He plays so hard.”
Silva came out with 7:58 left in the first half with leg issues and did not return. He just missed a fourth goal when he had a first-half shot go off the crossbar.
Marshall, picked to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference in the preseason poll, is 2-0 with both wins over Horizon League foes. The Herd’s next match is Friday at home against Xavier, a Big East member. The Musketeers are 1-0-1 with a 1-1 tie against Wright State and 2-1 victory over Oakland on Sunday.
In the first half, the Herd had seven of its 11 shots on goal and allowed its opponent zero shots on goal.
Grassie was happy to see Garcia-Pascual break through after so many close calls.
“We talked about it,” Grassie said. “That was not his best shot. He kept chipping away. He didn’t let it frustrate him. Pretty soon we’re going to run out of game balls. We’ve got four, five, six who can get that goal at any time.”
We’re very strong in the attack mode,” Silva said. “Guys like him (Garcia-Pascual) you have to respect. You keep thinking he’s got to get one in.”
Wright State finally got a solid scoring chance late only to see Herd goalkeeper Gabriel Perrotta deny Cameron Radeke when he punched the shot over the crossbar at 77:14 for his first on two saves. Perrotta is a transfer from UNC Wilmington.
“Did a job on the back line,” Grassie said. “Felt we were a little frustrated in decision making late. Gabe showed he has unbelievable reflexes. You have to be ready.”
Admassu recorded six saves in the first half. Allesandro Malterer took over in the second half.