Before Chris Grassie joined in 2017, Marshall had never qualified for the NCAA tournament, let alone dreamt of a College Cup. Since taking over, the England native has brought the Thundering Herd from the shadows to the forefront as a national powerhouse in just eight seasons. Now, in the College Cup for the second time in program history, the Thundering Herd have a chance to match what the 2020/21 team did by lifting the national title. 

How did the Grasie, who took over after leading Charleston to three consecutive NCAA DII College Cups, manufacture such a miraculous turnaround? Well, by his words, it is not too complex.

“To boil it down simply, we try to have good people, and we try to play good football . . . We don’t do it because it’s pretty, I do it because it is effective, and I enjoy watching it. I want to see players be brave on the ball and try to solve problems.”

With his guidance, Marshall has become an absolute nightmare for the College Cup soccer world. Press too eagerly, and this team will slice through your lines with precise passing or a pinpoint ball over the top. Park the bus and cede possession too long, and Marshall will string together a double-digit pass sequence or have one of their elite attackers provide a world-class moment. There does not seem to be a consistent answer to stop a team that has lost just once the season, which was months ago in August. And part of the benefit of embracing such an attractive style is what it can do on the recruitment stage, as Grassie highlighted.

“It is very helpful in recruiting and showing that we actually play this way. It is not just lip service.”  

With that structure, Grassie and his staff have built a coalition of global talents united by their belief in playing the game with a courageous and progressive style. This season, 13 of the 15 Marshall players that have played 800 or more minutes are internationally born, spanning four continents and ten countries (Brazil, Japan, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, England, France, Serbia, Spain, Canada). 

Now, led by Lineker Santos, a Brazilian striker named after a British goal-scoring legend, the Thundering Herd are two games away from adding to their legacy as a national soccer power.

Ten Key Moments:

8/22/2024 - Defeats Cal State Fullerton 3-0 to open the season.

8/29/2024 - Shock loss at Xavier fuels 20 match unbeaten streak team rides to College Cup.

9/2/2024 - 6-1 defeat of Loyola (MD) signals offensive intent.

10/17/2024 - Taimu Okoyoshi comes in as the No. 17 ranked player in the TDS Midseason Player Rankings. No. 54 Lineker Santos and No. 73 Alexander Stjernegaard follow.

10/21/2024 - TDS Midseason Freshman Rankings are released and Loic Sany Kong is ranked No. 73. Dan Rose joins at No. 80.

11/8/2024 - Sun Belt awards are released. Lineker Santos and Taimu Okiyoshi make the First Team. The lone second team selection is Takahiro Fujita.

11/17/2024 - Loses Sun Bent tournament in penalty kicks after 0-0 draw with West Virginia.

11/24/2024 - Opens NCAA tournament with 4-0 defeat of Furman.

11/30/2024 - 2-1 defeat of NC State secures trip to Elite Eight and undefeated 11-0-3 home record.

12/8/2024 - 3-2 victory at SMU sends team to second-ever College Cup and first since winning title in 2020.

Ten Key Statistics:

• Lineker Santos, 15 goals, is fourth top scorer in the country

• Santos is third in country in points (35)

• Santos has five goals and two assists in three NCAA tournament games

• 57 yellow cards are third most in the country

• 12 different goal scorers

• 10 shutouts are second most in the country

• One of two teams (Ohio State) with just one loss

• Dan Rose and Aleksa Janjic have split time in goal

• 13 of 22 games have been decided by one goal or fewer

• Only team in College Cup with a national championship