DALLAS, Texas — The 13th-seeded Marshall men’s soccer team secured its second College Cup Final Four appearance in program history with a dramatic 3-2 victory over SMU in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday.
Marshall (14-1-7) relied on standout performances from Brazilian forward Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos, who scored his fifth goal of the tournament and assisted on another. Marco Silva and Pablo Simon also found the back of the net for the Herd, while goalkeeper Aleksa Janjic tallied two critical saves.
NCAA Men’s Soccer Semifinal 2024
Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
WakeMed Soccer Park – Cary, North Carolina
Friday, December 13th, 2024 – 7:36 p.m. ET
The match began with a cautious pace, with only one shot registered in the first 20 minutes. Marshall broke through in the 24th minute when senior Tarik Pannholzer delivered a pinpoint cross to Rodrigues dos Santos, who converted to give the Herd a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, Silva extended the advantage to 2-0 with a clinical finish off a Rodrigues dos Santos assist in the 56th minute. SMU’s Milton Lopez responded just over a minute later to cut the deficit to 2-1.
NCAA Men’s Soccer Semifinal 2024
Television Broadcast: Watch on ESPN+
Radio Broadcast: Coverage Unavailable
Rodrigues dos Santos continued to shine, setting up Simon for a composed finish in the 76th minute to restore a two-goal cushion at 3-1. SMU added late pressure with Lopez’s second goal in the 83rd minute, but Janjic’s timely save in the final moments preserved the victory for Marshall.
With his four-point performance, Rodrigues dos Santos climbed to second in program history for points in a season with 35 and tied for second in single-season goals with 15.
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The Herd now turns its attention to top-seeded Ohio State, whom they will face in the semifinals on Friday at 7:36 p.m. in Cary, North Carolina.
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