Score: No. 14 Marshall 5, VCU 0
Location: Huntington, W.V. (Hoops Family Field)
Records: VCU 0-1-0, Marshall 1-0-0
 
The short story: The Thundering Herd outshot the Rams 34-2, taking control of the season opener.
 
QUICK FACTS

• Sophomore goalkeeper Cory Taylor recorded a career-high eight saves.
• Marshall held a 13-0 advantage in both shots on goal and corner kicks.
• The Thundering Herd won the 2020 NCAA national championship, and are one of eight ranked opponents on VCU's 2022 schedule.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Marshall's Milo Yosef got the home side on the board in the third minute, finishing from close range.
• Freshman midfielder Moussa Ndiaye had the Rams' first chance of the evening, firing a long-range effort in the 12th minute.
• Sophomore midfielder William Hitchcock threatened in the 25th minute, floating a shot over the bar.
• Yosef added another goal before halftime, then completed his hat trick between goals from Joao Souza and Matthew Bell in the second half.

 
QUOTING COACH DAVE GIFFARD
"Obviously a tough night at the office for us. It's a brand new starting eleven and we, as always, will shy away from no one. That's the only way we will learn and grow to be where we need to be as this team runs through its cycle. This group has the character and the talent to learn and grow as the season goes along, even under a ton of adversity like tonight. We will take the things we saw on the evening and make steps forward in the next three days to get ready for Akron. Then we will take the stimulus from that game and do the same for the next one. There is nowhere to hide at the top level and these games will give us exactly what we need to learn and move forward. That's it, you can't skip any steps and as a team we have to go through the battles and the hard lessons to come out on the other side."
 
UP NEXT
The Rams continue their road trip against former national champions, facing Akron on Monday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. from FirstEnergy Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.