Raiders Explode for Seven Goals in Win at Marshall

Friday, April 9

Huntington, WV

5 PM

Middle Tennessee

-33, 33 CUSA

Marshall

-37, 06 CUSA

Middle Tennessee

Marshall

Photo by: Emily Cole/MT Athletic Communications

4/9/2021 8:11:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – The Middle Tennessee women's soccer team ended the most unusual season in the team's 25-year history with a bang, Friday evening, as they defeated Marshall, 7-2, at Hoops Family Field.

Ashley Shimberg led the way with a program-tying record four goals while Caroline Manley, Carolin Engelhard, and Peyton DePriest each added one of their own. Manley also notched an assist as did Taylor Hamlett and Eleanor Gough, who had two.

It is the most goals the Blue Raiders have scored since an 8-0 win vs. Alabama A&M in 2013 as well as the first time since Shan Jones in 2009 that a Raider has scored four goals in a game and just the fifth time in school history. It is also the first time the feat has been accomplished against a conference opponent.

In a game that featured nine goals, the contest actually started with a strong defensive play as Hannah Suder made a diving save on a penalty kick in the sixth minute.

In the 24^th minute, the Raiders earned a penalty kick of their own as Sam DeBien was taken down the box as she was streaking toward the goal. Manley stepped up to the penalty spot and fired a shot into the lower-right corner past the diving keeper for her first-career goal.

The lead did not last for long, however, as the Thundering Herd tied it up less than a minute later.

In the 28^th minute, MTSU took the lead back as the ball found the foot of Engelhard off a corner kick, who fired a shot into the left side of the net, past a helpless keeper.

Gough nearly doubled the Raider lead a couple of minutes later as she took a shot nearly 40 yards out that went over the keeper's outstretched hands, but it hit the crossbar.

In the second half, DePriest extended the lead in the 50^th minute as she managed to stay onside while receiving a perfect pass from Gough, took a couple of touches and fired a shot with her left foot past the keeper. For DePriest, it was the 46^th goal of her career, just one shy of the all-time Conference USA record.

However, like the first half, Marshall responded right away as they cut the MTSU lead to 3-2 in the 52^nd minute.

The Herd nearly tied it in the 66^th minute as Kat Gonzalez took a shot off a corner kick that got past Suder. However, in a high-scoring affair, Alex Goffi made one of the defensive plays of the game as she cleared the ball off the line from her position on the far post.

In the 72^nd minute, the Shimberg show started.

Making her first appearance of the season, Shimberg scored her first goal of the season with a nice left-foot shot that hit the bottom of the crossbar and snuck in to put MTSU up 4-2.

In the 76^th minute, Shimberg gathered the ball in the box and fired another shot past the keeper to extend the Raider lead to 5-2.

While everyone else may have thought the game was over at that point, Shimberg did not as she collected a hat trick in the 89^th minute and then added a fourth goal with one second to go in the game to etch in stone the 7-2 final score.

With the win tonight, the Blue Raiders finish the year with a 3-3 record. MTSU will not have much of an offseason as the 2021 season will begin in August.