Parma Western boys soccer hosted Marshall Thursday night in I-8 conference action. The game got off to an exciting start. Just minutes into the match, senior Eli Parker raced into the penalty area and fired a shot from a difficult angle that rattled off the post. The rebound fell to senior Luke Harrington, whose one-time volley was stopped by the Marshall goalkeeper. With Western numbers pushed forward, Marshall quickly transitioned the other direction and took advantage, converting on the counterattack to give the Redhawks an early 1-0 lead. The game went back and forth for the next 20 minutes before Western found its equalizer. Sloppy field conditions caused an unfortunate bounce over the Marshall goalkeeper, but the job wasn’t finished. Sophomore Landon Koch was in the right place at the right time and converted the opportunity to level the score at 1-1. The wet conditions continued to make things difficult for both teams, with players slipping and the ball skidding and bouncing unpredictably throughout the match. With about five minutes remaining in the first half, a Western defender jumped to head a ball clear, but it took an unfortunate backward deflection and sailed over the Western goalkeeper for an own goal, giving Marshall a 2-1 advantage heading into halftime. The second half featured plenty of back-and-forth action, with both teams creating opportunities but neither able to find the net for most of the half. In the closing moments, a Western miscommunication gave Marshall an open opportunity inside the penalty area, which the Redhawks converted to make the final score 3-1. Western returns to action Saturday at home against Clinton. Due to the wet field conditions, the matches will be played on the turf field, with JV kicking off at 9 a.m. and varsity following at 10:30 a.m.