Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Being close to home, freshman defender Summer Wheatley gave the family and local friends something to cheer about.

Wheatley had two key assists including one with time running out that led to the winning goal as the Marshall Herd women’s soccer team edged Middle Tennessee 2-1 on Sunday.

Wheatley — a freshman from Huntington High — is the daughter of Tami and Greg Scythes of South Point and Larry Wheatley of Kentucky, and the granddaughter of Dottie Bennett of Coal Grove and Randy Sexton of Ironton.

Wheatley had a booming free kick with 10 seconds left that came to rest in traffic in front of the MTSU goal. Brittany Entz got the rebound and scored from 8 yards out with five seconds left to give Marshall the win.

It was Wheatley’s second assist of the game. She hit a corner shot in the 61st minute that led to a head shot by Alyssa Cathey for the game-tying goal.

“She’s doing a fantastic job for us,” Herd coach Kevin Long said of Wheatley. “I’ve had the benefit of knowing Summer for a long time and I felt like that’s why we brought her here. We felt like she could help us quite a bit and she’s doing just that.

“It opens up a lot of other areas. The fact that she ‘s a local is a plus — not just for me, but for the community. It’s great seeing success from someone so close to home.”

Marshall (8-5-2, 3-3-1 C-USA) visits Charlotte Friday and returns home Sunday to play Tulsa at 1 p.m. in the Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex.