Double overtimes may be something the Toppers are getting used to.

Western went on a road trip this weekend to Huntington, W.Va., to play in the Marshall Invitational only to return with two losses.

On Sunday, the Toppers (1-5-2) dropped a 2-1 double overtime decision to Marshall, the Toppers’ fourth double overtime game of the year.

“It was an encouraging performance on Sunday,” coach David Holmes said. “But you don’t get rewarded for effort.”

Junior midfielder/forward Dustin Downey got his first goal of the season to put the Toppers up early.

“It’s always exciting to score,” Downey said. “It came off of a play that we have been practicing a lot, a throw-in play. So it’s good to see the things that we’re practicing are getting executed in the game.”

Western held a 1-0 lead over the Thundering Herd until the 88th minute.

Marshall’s Michael Bolt scored his first of two goals on the night. Bolt added the game winner in the second overtime.

The Toppers faced High Point in their first match of the tournament on Friday.

Western out-shot the Panthers 19-15 but it was not enough, losing 3-1.

High Point got an early jump on the Toppers, scoring their first goal 29 seconds into the match.

“We gave up an early goal and after that we were fighting uphill the whole night,” Holmes said.

The Panthers scored their second goal in the 12th minute by way of defender Chris Shrum. He scored another goal late in the game to seal the victory.

With only two minutes left, senior defender Chris Davies scored his first goal of the season off of an assist by sophomore forward Andy Masteller, his second of the year.

The Toppers have struggled on the road this season.

“The refs and officials in different locations are always gonna be different than at home,” Downey said.

The Toppers haven’t won or tied a road game yet and have been outscored 8-2 this season.

For a team with a lot of young players, playing on the road is something that comes with time, coach Holmes said.

“We really played well today and some of the younger guys have to learn that all of the stars don’t always align in your favor on the road,” Holmes said.

The accommodations on the road are not always as comforting as being at home.

“Just being away from home and at the hotel room on your day off can make you very restless,” sophomore defender Tim Muessig said. “You want to go do something just to give your mind a break. But you’re in a place like Huntington, and you don’t know what there is to do.”

The Toppers host Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the WKU Soccer Complex.

Reach Ryan Carey at sports@chherald.com.