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A Gold-en win for Marshall
In the 78th minute of play Monday evening, the Marshall boys soccer team was looking for a miracle.Anything, really. Having trailed the whole game until senior Jorge Romero scored in the 72nd minute, the Statesmen found themselves down, 2-1, with precious time ticking off the clock.
That is, until Greg Goldbach took over.
The senior midfielder received a pass on a throw-in from the corner of the field, and received a break when Woodson keeper Joel Helmick got caught a little too far toward the top of the box. Goldbach booted the ball into the left side of the open net with his right foot, putting the finishing touches on the Statesmen's comeback.
"He definitely brings the skills, so I think a lot of guys look up to him," said Marshall coach Ricardo Silva of Goldbach. "And this is a learning experience for him, to learn how to utilize the players around him. He knows he's not the only player on the team, he wasn't the only goal we had."
In the two five-minute overtime sessions, Marshall displayed its depth by adding two more goal scorers to the box score – Ajay Amin and Dylan Goodale – in its 4-2 victory. The win improved the Statesmen to 4-2-1 overall and 1-1 in the Liberty District.
Goldbach's goal was his eighth of the season, and he now has 28 for his high school career. He is looking forward to extending his playing days as a member of the University of Kentucky next year.
"I've been fortunate to have a great career here at Marshall and I am lucky to have been scouted and be able to play at the next level next year," he said. "I can't wait for that. Playing club ball has been nice, it's developed some stuff. A lot of people trash talk in high school, but there are some positives to high school that will definitely help me out in college."
In the meantime, however, Goldbach is hoping his current squad can complete a turnaround of last year's 4-8-1 finish. Silva said his Statesmen will need to start games better – Woodson's two first-half goals highlighted a common problem for this year's team.
"I think the difference is gonna be how we start matches," said the coach. "We spotted Stone Bridge a goal 16 seconds into the game, we spotted Herndon a goal 10 minutes into the game. Same thing with Wakefield. As soon as we change that, I think that will be the difference. Playing a full 80 minutes, instead of just waiting 10-15 minutes to get into a match. That's what it's gonna take."
Marshall will play district-foe Langley Friday evening – one of the top teams in the Northern Region – and will face Edison, Madison, McLean and Mt. Vernon before closing out the regular season with Jefferson and South Lakes.
The Statesmen will rely heavily on Goldbach's leadership skills to get through the homestretch and into the playoffs.
"He's a great vocal leader when we're in a tight situation," Silva said. "He picks it up another notch, just the way he did today. It's that experience that he has playing in the club game, playing in the finals, he knows how to play in tight spaces, he knows how to play in rough situations.
"That's the most important thing, that he gives back to the other kids. That experience that he gives to the team helps a lot."
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