GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team (4-1-5, 1-0-1 SoCon) hosts the Marshall Thundering Herd (4-2-4, 1-1-2 Sun Belt) on Tuesday night at UNCG Soccer Stadium, with kickoff slated for 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
Head coach Chris Rich and company enter the week riding a 3-1 win over NC State in Greensboro on Oct. 7, the Spartans' first match of October. The Thundering Herd arrive in North Carolina as the second of three marquee non-conference matchups during the month for the Blue & Gold, followed by a midweek trip to High Point on Oct. 20.
Game 11: UNCG vs. Marshall
Date & time: Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 6:00 p.m.
Location: Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Soccer Stadium
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Coverage: Live Stats: Live Stats Broadcast: ESPN+
Promotions: Fans can enter to win a bookstore prize pack, and there will be a food truck in attendance.
Tickets: Free admission
Social media: Follow the UNC Greensboro men's soccer team on Instagram (@uncgsoccer), Twitter (@UNCGsoccer), and Facebook (UNCGMensSoccer) to keep track of all the action and updates.
Series history vs. Marshall
Tuesday marks just the second meeting all-time between the Spartans and Thundering Herd, UNCG carrying a 1-0-0 advantage in the series after the Blue & Gold earned a 3-2 (OT) win in the first meeting back in 1998.
Scouting the Thundering Herd
Head coach Chris Grassie's side enters Tuesday seeking a first win in October, as the Herd are on a 0-1-1 start to the month after beginning the season 4-1-3. Freshman Joshua Nugent (four goals, eight points) leads the side offensively, tied with senior Carl Romberg (three goals, two assists) for the team-high in points. Fellow senior Thiago Apolinario sits tied with Romberg on three tallies so far this year. The 2020-21 national champions create chances in multiple ways, with five players having recorded two assists among eight total with helpers on the year.
Issues have plagued the Herd this season, however. Marshall sits 195th in Division I this season in save percentage (.610) and 134th in team goals against average (1.600), statistics that could matter significantly against a UNCG side that ranks 41st in the country in shot accuracy (.458) on 12 attempts per game. At the other end, Marshall ranks 146th in shot accuracy (.397) and 93rd in scoring offense.
Last time out for UNCG
The Blue & Gold returned to the win column with a 3-1 takedown of NC State on Oct. 7, getting goals from three different players as 21 different Spartans made an impact on the pitch. Pablo Torre led the charge for UNCG in the Spartans' first win over NC State since 2002, netting the opening goal and an assist, while Steven Hernandez and Filipe Matos also found the back of the net.
Hernandez's winner marked his first goal of the season, while Torre and Matos' respective strikes were their second of 2026. Malo Jungling picked up his first collegiate assist on the opener.
Team leaders for the Spartans
Thirteen different players have contributed at least a point for UNCG through 10 games this season. Keaviano Francis (four goals, one assist) and Caleb Borneo (three goals, one assist) continue to lead the Blue & Gold in points, at nine and seven, respectively. Following last week's win, Torre and Matos rank third with six points for the year thanks to a pair of goals and assists each; it was the first time the pair scored since Aug. 20, in a 4-1 win over VCU.
Lasse Dahl's assist against the Wolfpack moved him into a tie with Trym Linberg for the most assists this season, with three. Malo Jungling, meanwhile, became the eighth Spartan in 2026 to have recorded at least one goal and assist so far during the campaign.
UNCG firsts on the season
Mason Dancy, Gavin DeHart, Jungling, Mathis Robinand and Bautista Schmidt have all recorded their first collegiate points this season while donning the Blue & Gold. For the quartet of Dancy, Jungling, Robinand and Schmidt, it's been through scoring a goal.
Players of the week watch
UNCG has had five players earn recognition as a SoCon Player of the Week, the most of any team in the conference. Francis (Sept. 1), Borneo (Sept. 2) and Jungling (Sept. 22) have all taken home Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Trym Linberg (Aug. 25) and Seth Wilson (Sept. 15) have been recognized defensively.
Home warriors
UNCG stands at 4-0-2 at home this season, continuing a streak of dominance at UNCG Soccer Stadium since Rich took the helm in 2019. The Spartans are 50-15-12 (73%) at home under Rich, including a dominant 20-1-4 over the last three seasons; the lone loss came to South Carolina last year, 1-2.
Only Marshall, Furman (Oct. 27) and ETSU (Oct. 31) are left on the home slate as the Blue & Gold seek a second unbeaten home campaign in three seasons, following 2024 (8-0-2).
Playing with discipline
Through 10 games this season, Rich's squad ranks eighth in Division I among 210 eligible squads in fewest fouls committed per game, 8.2 (82 total); the 13 yellow cards shown the Blue & Gold also ranks as sixth-fewest amount handed to a team so far this season. The Thundering Herd, meanwhile, enter Tuesday night ranked 189th in fouls per game (13.60) with the 12th most yellow cards, 34.
Spartans in the rankings
In the Southern Conference (SoCon), UNCG leads in six categories as a team: fouls per game (fewest, 8.2), goal differential (+10), points per game (5.30), save percentage (.789), shutout percentage (.300) and team goals against average (.800).
At the national level, the Spartans stand 15th in team goals against average, 28th in save percentage, 33rd in goal differential and 41st in shot accuracy among the Division I leaderboard.
Wilson stands out among the pack in net at 24th nationally in goals against average (.800) and 37th in save percentage (.784). Hernandez, meanwhile, paces the SoCon in shot accuracy (.524), shots per game (2.63) and shots on goal per game (1.38). The senior forward ranks 68th or better nationally in all three marks.
Locking it down defensively
UNCG's +10 goal differential begins with the effort at the back, where Wilson (900), Dancy (886), Mohammed Sumaila (796), Linberg (778), Schmidt (466) and Robinand (381) have seen the most minutes. Last week's win over NC State was the fifth game this season where the Spartans have limited opponents to three or fewer shots on goal (three), and the fourth consecutive game after lockdown efforts against South Florida (one), Liberty (one), Mercer (two) and the Wolfpack.
No opposing side has recorded more than nine shots against the Blue & Gold over the past four games, and the Spartans have conceded multiple goals just once in a game this year – a 2-2 draw at Davidson on Sept. 1.
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Up next
The Spartans will leave Greensboro for a three-game road trip, beginning with a return to SoCon action against VMI on Saturday, Oct. 17. Kickoff in Lexington, Virginia, at Patchin Field is slated for 3:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
