Jason Howell | The Daily Eastern News
Two goals from junior Kelly Culicerto and a third from sophomore Sydney Arnold were enough for the Marshall Thundering Herd to secure a 3-0 win on Sunday over Eastern at Lakeside Field.

Culicerto, who had three shots on goal in Sunday’s match, found the back of the net in the 24th minute off a header from junior Lia Foster.

Culicerto struck again in the second half, connecting on a free kick after a foul in the 55th minute.

The third goal came on a breakaway when junior Erin Simmons found Arnold for the two-on-one opportunity in the 66th minute.

Junior Emily Hinton again got the start in goal for the Panthers, making a total of eight saves.

Red-shirt senior Lauren Hoppensteadt, who had one shot on goal in the match, said the way the Panthers possessed the ball showed some positive improvement.

“We possessed the ball really well and it shows us that we can hold up with people who are playing No. 3 and No. 5 teams in the nation,” she said. “It was a positive way to realize that we’re getting better.”

Marshall opened the season with an exhibition against No. 5 Virginia Tech, losing 4-0, and started non-conference play against No. 3 Virginia with a 3-0 loss. The win over Eastern is Marshall’s first of the season, putting the Thundering Herd at 1-1-1. Eastern drops to 0-3 with the loss.

Eastern head coach Jason Cherry was well aware of the challenge that would be presented by the Conference-USA opponent, but still thought the Panthers played well.

“I think it was a good game for us,” he said. “They’re a big, physical, strong, athletic team. We competed well with them. They deserved the win, but we made too many mistakes, which cost us the game.”

Sophomore defender Emily Wolf left the match in the second half with a left leg injury, but was able to return. Cherry said he did not think the injury was anything serious.

“She’s going to see our athletic trainer and just take a look, but I think she’s fine,” he said.

Eastern will take on Louisiana Tech at 1 p.m. Sunday at Lakeside Field.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-2812 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.