BigGreenTruck

I understand just how dominate Akron has been. And since last month I see the reason no one outside of Indiana actually roots for them. After Marshall won the national championship, I plus others have run into nothing but "Entitled Soccer Mom Karen and Chad's". One even had the nerve to claim we "Bought Our Title, with Grown Men". He claimed since Marshall is heavily international (All but 1 stater is international), that we were playing 25-27 year olds. When I proved to him that the oldest player on our roster was a 23 year old senior (And the avg roster age was 21) and he was already drafted to Sporting KC and was gone now. It shut him up somewhat. But at the same time I also pointed out that Marshall had just become a decent program and that only one of the 2 programs of Marshall and Indiana was going to get the 4-5 star HS kids and only one program is going to get the MLS Academy kids, and it wasn't Marshall. So for Coach Grassie to play with the top schools he had to recruit internationally or be left out. Also the announcing in that game was so one sided for Indiana it was crazy. They questioned Marshall's schedule. Marshall was 4-1 against the top 25 with wins over #11 Kentucky. #12 Charlotte, #17 Charlotte (2), #24 FIU and a loss to #6 Akron. They didn't bring up Indiana's schedule which included no OOC schedule and one, count them one game against a top 25 team, #16 Michigan, and it took Indiana 119 and 52 seconds to win, yeah they scored with 8 seconds to go in OT 2. They claimed that the jersey you wore mattered and all the prestige was on Indiana's side. As one of our players said in the press conference after the game "We didn't know or even want to know their history, the fact is none of them on the pitch tonight had never won a college national championship, so the jersey didn't intimidate us like it would some". If you would have told me 10 years ago that one day Marshall soccer was going to win a national title I would have probably looked at you a lil strangely. Just 18 years ago Marshall was 24 hours from cutting men's soccer. If the asst AD at the time wasn't a former soccer player at Marshall and hadn't blown the whistle on what was about to happen to the 3 major papers in Huntington and Charleston, the program would be gone.

Yeah I noticed my mistake after I posted it on your last NCAA. In 2019 was the 1st time Marshall actually made the NCAA Tournament and they were seeded 11th. And well our first game in the tournament was WVU as 2,132 came out to watch Marshall defeat the MAC champ 2-1. Your last NCAA may have been 2018 but you done something a lot of schools only dream of and that was make the College Cup Finals. For example Penn State has made the tournament 33 times and have never made the finals and have only made the College Cup semi's once, in 1979 or 41 years ago, the University of Washington has made the tournament 26 time and the furthest they have been is the Elite 8 or quarterfinals. WVU has made the tournament 14 times since 1961 but has yet to make it past the 2nd round. Also Akron has a National Championship, something only 26 schools can say. And in that, 2 schools don't even belong DI anymore in West Chester (1961. Last year DI 1969) and Hartwick (1977, Last year DI 2018).

In my eyes (A Marshall Fan), this is a horrible add. WVU has spent more time in the MACs bottom 1/3 (4-6) than anywhere else, four of their 8 years they finished 4-6. I know it's bad but I was hoping GA State and GA Southern would have went to the SoCon or The Big South. Leaving the MAC to lose their autobid. And the only reason I was rooting for that is I know CUSA could have swooped in and taken the only school worth adding in Akron. If that would have happened CUSA could have butted heads with the ACC for the best soccer conference I think. This is what the line up would have been, last tournament in (): UAB (2014) ODU (2017) FIU (2020) FAU (2007) Charlotte (2020) Marshall (2020) South Carolina (2015) Kentucky (2020) Coastal Carolina (Joining in fall of 2021) (2020) Akron (2019) That line up could have had the potential to have 5-6 in the Top 25 year in and year out.

But for most ADs its is easier and more convenient to cut the dead weight, rather invest in it and not get a return for a decade or so. Im glad our AD took the stand to invest in a soccer stadium in 2011. Hoops Family Field opened in 2013. Our AD invested in something a lot of Marshall fans questioned. He then hired what was the best DII HC in the nation in 2017. That investment paid of with a National Championship within 8 years. Soccer was on the chopping block in 2003. Marshall had to cut a men's sport to be Title IX compliant. Men's soccer was right to be in the discussion to be cut. Even then Marshall only had 9 winning seasons from 1979-2003. The day before it was to be cut the Huntington Herold-Dispatch and Charleston Daily Mail and Gazette were "anonymously" tipped off (Asst AD at the time and former soccer player at Marshall). After about a month of pressure from the Huntington community, the soccer community and enough bad publicity from the 3 papers the AD had enough pressure he couldn't cut soccer. Ultimately men's track and field was cut. The Marshall BOG had an emergency meeting today to give Chris Grassie a new contract. Marshall BOG Approves New Contract 1,878,750 for 5 years or 375,750 pr year

They had to go somewhere, Sun Belt soccer is dead. Appy State dropped men's soccer after the 2019 season Central Arkansas moved all their athletics to the ASUN Howard moved 6 programs including men's soccer to the NEC Coastal Carolina joins CUSA in the fall Only 2 left was GA State and GA Southern and they had to find a home as neither school can drop the sport. It was either the MAC, SoCon or Big South.

This was only the 2nd time Marshall has been in the NCAA Tournament. The first time was in 2019 as an 11 seed and a Sweet 16. Marshall beat WVU in the 2nd round 2-1 in front of 2,121 (standing room only as Hoops Family Field holds 1006) only to fall 4-1 and 6 seed Washington. Marshall didn't have a proper soccer facility until 2013. They played on a field pushed up against Joan C Edwards stadium from 1993 to 2012. That is when Hoops Family Field at Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex opened. Coach Grassie plays a style I don't think Ive really ever seen before. He plays a deep position ball control with an attacking front when he has numbers. He has stated his goal is to wear the other team out and let them make the mistake. Our defense and GKer only allowed 7 goals on the season and no more than 1 in regulation. Oliver Semmle also had 12 Clean Sheets (the most in the country). As far as mid major ADs thinking on soccer, I don't think that is gonna change. When at their school, soccer is probably the last and worst sport on their totem pole. Its much easier to just cut the sport rather than invest in it. I can remember back to the spring of 2011 when the AD at Marshall showed plans to build a soccer complex. It was met with "Why", "Do you really need to spend money on that", "That money should be spent on football and basketball", and other comments.

You can now say you beat the National Champions 3 Indiana 0 Marshall 1 OT Golden Goal by Jamil Roberts at 98:00 mark

Did you see who Indiana is facing on Monday. The Marshall Thundering Herd Marshall is 12-2-3 this season. With 7 Top 25 wins (1-1 with #1 and 1 seed Clemson, 7-6 PK win), and losses to Akron and WVU. Marshall hasn't lost since March 24th. Marshall's March To The Title Game #23 and unseeded Fordham- Undefeated coming into the NCAAs -- Marshall 2-1 in OT, Golden Goal by Milo Yosef at the 96:41 mark of the first OT #1 and 1 seed Clemson- The top ranked team in the nation at 14-2-3 -- Marshall 1 Clemson 1 after 2 OT -- Marshall advances on PKs 7-6 #7 and 8 seed Georgetown- Georgetown was the Defending National Champions -- Marshall 1-0, Goal by Jamil Roberts at the 20:05 mark in the 2nd period #16 and unseeded North Carolina- UNC had made the College Cup semis the last 3 of 4 years -- Marshall 1-0, Goal by Jamil Roberts at the 30:22 mark in the 2nd period Marshall is coached by Chris Grassie who in my opinion is one of the top coaches in the country. This isn't his 1st College Cup or College Cup Final. He has 6 College Cups and 3 College Cup finals. Four of the College Cups and 2 College Cup Finals took place while the head coach of the University of Charleston (DII) the other was as an asst in Ann Arbor in 2010 at Michigan. So he was on the other side of the Akron national title run. The Grassie File University of Charleston HC for 6 years WVIAC/MEC Coach of the Year 4 times 99-20-8 Record 6 WVIAC/MEC Titles 1 Sweet 16 2 Elite 8 1 Final 4 2 Title Games Marshall University (4th year) CUSA Coach of the Year 2 times 45-24-11 (29-5-6 in the last 2 years) 2 CUSA Ttiles 19 Ranked Wins (Beat #1 Clemson on PKs) 2 NCAAs 1 Sweet 16 1 College Cup Final (Season Not Over) 15 straight weeks in the Top 25 (Currently #10, Highest Rank #8)