HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Old Dominion men’s soccer fell to #14 Marshall, 3-0 on Tuesday night at Hoops Family Field in the regular season finale. The Monarchs end Sun Belt Conference action in ninth place with seven points to be the first team to miss out on the SBC Conference Championships that kick off on Monday, November 9, 2026.
“I’m really disappointed with the end of our season after such a bright start to the campaign,” said ODU Head Coach Tennant McVea. “We needed to turn 10 wins into more this year. It’s never a nice feeling when the season comes to an end. I want to thank the players who ended their careers this evening for their dedication to the program over their time with us.
“We will take time to process this season and plan the best way to continue moving forward. I want to thank the community for their unbelievable support this year,” said McVea.
The Monarchs’ (10-6-1, 2-6-1 SBC) first attempt was in the fifth minute of action. Jacopo Caprile heaved a signature long throw into the box, and the ball was headed back to him by a Marshall defender just outside of it. The second-year defender cleanly struck a volleyed attempt but just missed the far post to go out for a goal kick.
Marshall’s Carl Romberg gave the Herd an early lead and opened the scoring in the 25th minute. He was on the receiving end of a well-placed cross near the byline by Stan Klaver. Nikita Pakhomov dragged an ODU defender to him at the near post and played a dummy, letting the ball run through his legs, to Romberg. Romberg then feinted before his initial dribble and got past a sliding ODU defender and then beat ODU goalie Logan Bellina to the left side of the net to take a 1-0 advantage.
Lewis Rourke had a chance to level the game in the 38th minute. MU goalkeeper Alan Horrocks played a short pass to Pakhomov at the top of the box, but ODU’s high press was on him quickly. ODU’s Otu Bisong put in a sliding challenge to win the ball that fell to Rourke just outside the box with a clear view of the net in sight. His shot was struck with enough power to score, but it did not have the placement to beat Horrocks who made the save.
The second half saw four attempts, MU’s Goncalo Machado had his long-range attempt smacked away by a Monarch defender. In the 58th minute MU’s Thiago Apolinario lofted a cross towards the far post and found Romberg all alone. He dribbled towards the middle of the box on his right foot and fired hard and high towards the near post, beating Bellina to make the score 2-0.
In the 72nd minute, Micah Wayland got on the end of a bouncing ball that was lofted into the box. A Marshall defender headed the pass out and a Monarch parried the ball back. A Herd midfielder misplaced his pass, and it fell onto the path of Wayland just outside the box. The third year forward fired towards goal, but Horrocks was positioned well to make the clean stop.
Four minutes later, ODU would receive a free kick outside the box in a position to cross the ball. Fourth year midfielder Barrett Saul stepped up and delivered a well-placed pass to the feet of Rourke at the near post. The forward fired across his body but with just Horrocks to beat but the keeper made himself big and made the save. The attempt was the Monarchs’ final shot of the night.
Marshall scored its third and final goal of the night from a corner kick in the 84th minute. Alvaro Alvarez whipped his set-piece delivery in and found Luka Lukic’s head in the middle of the box. The MU defender headed the ball low and to the right side to beat Bellina and give the Herd a 3-0 lead.
Old Dominion had six shots and four shots on goal in 90 minutes of action. That tally is tied for the second lowest shot total the Monarchs have produced this season, the lowest mark was four shots at Georgia Southern in a 3-1 defeat. Old Dominion had six shots against #15 West Virginia in a 2-1 win at the ODU Soccer Complex.
The Herd finished with 15 shots, nine shots on goal, and seven corner kick attempts. Old Dominion had five attempts from the corner flag. Rourke had a team high two shots and both his attempts were on goal. Nicholas Alves, Barrett Saul, Caprile, and Wayland all had one shot attempt.
ODU defenders Noah Dietze and David Chapman both played every second on the field while second year midfielder Alessandro Maldonado and Rourke also logged a full 90 minutes of action.
UP NEXT:
Old Dominion finishes the regular season in ninth place in the Sun Belt. The SBC Championships begin on Monday, Nov. 9 and conclude on Sunday, Nov. 15. Selection for the NCAA Tournament is on Monday, Nov. 16 with the first round kicking off on Thursday, Nov. 19.