STATESBORO --- The No. 19 men's soccer team (8-0-1, 2-0-0 SBC) took down the defending national runner-up and No. 4 Thundering Herd (3-1-4, 1-1-0 Sun Belt) by a 2-1 margin on Sunday night (September 28th).

Two heavyweight titans took to the battlefield on Bo Pitts Field in front of a packed house in Statesboro. The crowd of nearly 800, the most since 2022, witnessed just the second win over a ranked program in program history. It also was the first time the Eagles took down a top-five team in the country. 

Off to get go, it was Marshall who started to control possession slightly, just edging out the Eagles in shots and chances to start the contest. Three shots from the Herd ina six minute span put the Eagles on notice. However, in the 29th minute, Mitch Picklsey played a ball on the right side of the box to Ricky Louis who used the right foot to find the perfect angle. His ground ball shot passed the keeper and had a friendly roll of the woodwork, giving the Eagles the early lead.

The first half ended with Marshall beating out Southern in shots, 5-4, while 16 total fouls were evenly split across the opening 45 minutes. With the commencement of the second half, also came the ramped up intensity of the Herd offense. The Eagles managed to fend off a few shots, but the offense would finally break throguh when Marshall's Keaviano Francis placed a curling shot perfectly into the upper corner from just outisde the box, evening the game.

Just minutes late, a shot from Picksley would actaully wind up finding the back of the net, but was called offsides. Southern kept the faith, however. A throw in from Finn Steele with just eleven minutes to go would miss a few heads from both squads, miraculously finding the feet of Louis once again, who capitalized to put the Eagles on top. For the sophomore, it would be his sixth goal of 2025 and his second brace of the year.

The final minutes of the match saw the Herd take three shots, with Nate Martinez making a crucial save in the 87th minute to seal the win for the home squad. The Herd outshot the Eagles 15-9, with each team also taking five corners, all of which were sent away. Despite the rivarly and marquee matchup, it remained relatively clean, with just three yellow cards addressed.

The win would not only be the statement win for coach Lee Squires, but arguably the biggest win in program history. It is just the second ranked win in 36 matches in program history, with the only other one coming against No. 14 Furman in an overtime win in 2013. The win streak also stays alive for the Eagles, now matchin gthe 1997 squad's feat of seven straight. For Marshall, they suffer their first defeat of 2025 and first since the 2024 National Championship.

Now sitting at first place in the Sun Belt table, the Eagles face a three-match road stretch. First, they travel to Morgantown on Saturday (October 4th) to take on No. 10 West Virginia. Kickoff is set for 7 PM ET.