Photo by Sam Thiel Marshall’s Ally Quist controls the ball during their game against St. Peter on Tuesday. Marshall fell to St. Peter 2-0.

MARSHALL — After earning a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Worthington on Monday, the Marshall girls soccer team looked to keep their recent strong play going against St. Peter. MHS was able to go toe-to-toe with the Saints in the first half, but a pair of second-half goals by St. Peter ended up being the difference in a 2-0 final on Tuesday.

Marshall coach Jesus Hernandez said he felt they did a good job of controlling the intensity during the first half but added St. Peter had a lot more energy in the second half and they weren’t able to match it.

“We obviously know St. Peter is a tough opponent and I feel like the girls had a pretty good control of the intensity of the game and the situation throughout the first half,” coach Hernandez said. “Both teams created some opportunities so we told the girls that in the second half we had to keep the intensity but I feel like St. Peter came out a lot stronger in the second half and that’s what made us struggle in the back a little bit.”

It was back-and-forth to start, with both sides getting some quality scoring chances, but neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half. The second half was a different story, though, as St. Peter came out firing on all cylinders and capitalized with a goal with 33:15 left to get on the board. The Saints weren’t done there, as they later added another score a few minutes later. Marshall had some chances late to get on the board, but weren’t able to capitalize en route to the 2-0 final.

Up next

Marshall (3-4-1) will face Mankato Loyola on the road on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. Coach Hernandez said their biggest takeaway will be maintaining the intensity they brought throughout the first half against St. Peter.

“Probably what we did in the first half here, just pressuring the ball and their game in the back of their field and not letting them cross the half to our field,” coach Hernandez said. “Once they cross the half, then we are defending and the more we defend the more the defense gets tired so if we pressure them on their own half, we give our defense a break and be ready for the next play.”