When Canyon Del Oro senior forward Nick Marshall scored his fifth goal in Friday’s 13-0 victory over Cholla, he broke the school’s record for most goals in a single game.
When he scored his seventh goal, he buried it.
“I’d actually been trying to break this for a while now,” Marshall said with a smile. “My old coach actually had the record, so every time I’d tie it, he’d take me out.”
Nothing, and nobody, stood in Marshall’s way on Friday.
In addition to the seven goals, Marshall also notched an assist, and imposed his high-paced style on the entire game, at times unleashing lightning-quick, accurate passes that caused Cholla defenders to throw up their hands in frustration.
Despite being a big part of the 15-2 Dorados’ game plan, Marshall doesn’t focus much on himself, instead sounding more excited about his team than his record.
“We’ve been playing together since we were like six,” said Marshall. “That’s the good thing about it, everyone likes each other, and there’s no negative tension towards anyone. That’s the way I like it.”
Another thing Marshall would like: a state championship.
“State is a big thing for us,” he said. “We were pretty disappointed last year losing in the semis.”
“Nine or 10 of our starters this year are seniors, so this is our year to do it,” Marshall added.
State title or not, Marshall can look forward to more post-graduation soccer – after talking with schools like Oregon State and University of California-Irvine, he recently accepted a scholarship offer from UNLV to play in Las Vegas.
“I’m decked out in all my UNLV stuff now,” he said. “Not that many people can say they went to college in Las Vegas.”
Whether scoring goals or blazing an unusual college trail, Marshall seems to take whatever comes his way with the same high level of enthusiasm. When asked about the state championship or his future in Nevada, Marshall responds the same way.
“It’s going to be fun,” he said. “I’m really excited about it.”
