Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall midfielder Sam Foster (19) and forward Moo Gay (30) react after Foster scored the go-ahead goal in the first half of a Section 2AA boys soccer semifinals match against Worthington on Thursday in Marshall. The Tigers defeated the Trojans 2-0 to advance to the section championship game for the first time in program history.

MARSHALL — For the first time in program history, the Marshall boys soccer team is advancing to the Section 2AA championship game.

“I’m just happy. We’ve been playing for a long time, our chemistry is there, I’m so proud of these guys,” mdifielder Mason Graven said.”Worthington’s our rival, so it always feels good to beat them and it means a lot to us, beating someone who we’ve struggled to beat in the past. But we beat them now.”

The Tigers defeated the Trojans 2-0 behind goals from Sam Foster and Moo Gay, marking their second win of the season over the Trojans after they held them off 2-1 in Worthington earlier this season. The latter was also Marshall’s first time beating the Trojans in Worthington.

“I’m just so happy we got past this stage. We’ve never been to the finals, but I know we can win it. I don’t care who the opponent is,” Marshall head coach Tony Correa said, emotional after the win. “I’m confident in these guys… They put it all out there. They put their bodies on the line, they put their energy on the line, and it wasn’t just the ones you would expect, so I think that was good because nine times out of 10, they’re going to mark your top players.”

Correa added that he felt like the usual suspects also performed at a high level, but he was glad to see the Tigers put together a true team effort for the victory.

Marshall had the advantage in shots on goal throughout the game even when Worthington controlled possession early. The Trojans were able to bring the ball into Marshall territory consistently, but the tenacious Tiger defense prevented them from getting any good looks at the goal. Even when the Trojans were awarded a free kick, the Marshall defense jumped up to block the ball before goalkeeper Roberto Garcia Lopez even needed to react.

The scoreless stalemate broke in the 23rd minute when Moo Gay recovered the ball deep in Worthington territory. Just outside the goal area, he passed the ball laterally to Sam Foster who seized the moment for the go-ahead goal.

“I was just trying to hustle hard and get that goal. I kind of felt like I was going to score tonight,” Foster said after scoring his sixth goal of the season. “We were definitely energized, and then the red card after that [for Worthington], it was kind of over.”

Foster’s goal gave Marshall the lead, but with plenty of time left, it was far too early for the Tigers to get comfortable.

It wasn’t until the 61st minute that the Tigers got an inch of breathing room. Gay got the ball on a fast break. With two defenders hot on his tail and just the goalkeeper to beat, Worthington goalkeeper Adrian Flores Andrade charged at Gay as he dribbled up the field to the left of the net. Gay faked his way around the keeper and dribbled the ball right up to the goalline before sending it in for a 2-0 lead.

Midfielder Jared Hernandez left the game 13 minutes in after suffering a lower-body injury. He wasn’t able to return to action. Gay also was playing through an injury, which forced him to leave in the game’s waning minutes, but the Tigers persevered.

“Everyone knows what each other has to do, everyone knows how the starters play. When we have to fill those roles, we know what we have to do,” Correa said. “I thought they filled in well. I don’t think it should matter who’s in the game as long as we trust our team. I’m just happy.”

Garcia Lopez finished the game with five saves for Marshall, earning his 10th clean sheet of the season and doubling his total from last year.

The Tigers finished the match with nine shots on goal to Worthington’s five. While the numbers alone tell a story, they also forced Flores Andrade to make some spectacular saves even when the ball didn’t find the back of the net.

“I thought we dominated the game,” Correa said. “From the ball possession, to 50-50s, to defensively, I thought these guys outworked the other team.”

With under two minutes remaining in the first half, Marshall’s Isaiah Argueta and Worthington’s Maqui Sandoval Valladares got chippy along the sideline. As tensions rose, the officials separated the two and handed both players yellow cards.

After both players went back to the benches, a second yellow card and then a red was handed to Sandoval Valladares, ejecting him from the game and leaving Worthington a man down for the remainder of the game.

Correa said he was unsure of the specifics of the event, saying he said one of the Trojans disrespected one of the Tigers in a way that wasn’t allowed. The officiating crew declined to comment when asked for specifics on the incident.

“We got a little lucky there. I think we were still doing fine, but these guys brought the intensity after that because they were a little mad. I think that gave us a little momentum,” Correa said.

Marshall improves to 14-2-2 with the win and will next face top-seeded Mankato East in the Section 2AA championship game on Tuesday at New Prague High School at 5 p.m. The 12-3-2 Cougars earned their ticket to the section championship with a 3-0 win over the fifth-seeded Jordan Hubmen in the semifinals after beating Hutchinson 7-0 in the first round. The Tigers and Cougars are ranked No. 10 and No. 8 respectively in Class AA in the latest coaches poll.

“We’ll watch the film, look at Mankato East, but we just need to play as a team,” Graven said. “We just need to keep our spirits up and play together.”

Correa said that the team feels comfortable playing on the New Prague pitch after playing a semifinal matchup there in 2022 in which they lost 2-1 to second-seeded New Prague. Worthington went on to defeat New Prague in the section championship match that season.

“We’ve just got to be comfortable and be ready for whatever,” Correa said. “Whatever players we’re up against, from the coaches to the players to the managers, everyone’s just got to be ready.”