Current Release: April 28th, 2009 | Vol. XXX Iss. 10

Soccer team struggles

By Melissa Fowler

mjfowler@vwc.edu

The stands were packed with fans and full of excitement after the Marlin women s soccer team held off a late-game rally by the Generals of Washington & Lee University to win 2-1 in game one of a Marlin soccer doubleheader on Sept. 20. The stage was set for the Marlin men as they took the field in their 2008 ODAC regular season campaign against the Roanoke College Maroons.

The men were looking for redemption and their first win at home this season after a close 2-1 loss just a few days earlier to Hampton Roads rival Christopher Newport in a non-conference battle that put the Marlins overall record at 1-3.

 I was very pleased with the energy level of the guys going into the game, Coach Michael S. McFarland said.  I think the guys prepared well going into the game, even with the loss to CNU. I was very pleased with the level of preparation the guys had going into the game with Roanoke. With Roanoke being defending O.D.A.C. champions, we could not take them lightly. But overall, I was very happy with the energy level of the guys going in.

Once the game started, the Maroons wasted no time in scoring their first goal. Just 1:54 in, the game saw its first score by Michael Rouhana. The quick score left the fans in the stands at Foster Field silent for the remainder of the half.

After the early goal, the first half remained quiet with the exception of a yellow-card issued to lone, Maroon scorer Rouhana. The second half picked up though, but not to the liking of the Marlins.

 The guys did some things I was not to happy about during the game, McFarland said.

In the sixty-eighth minute, Shaman Douglass put Roanoke ahead 2-0 when he scored one of his two goals on the night off of a Kayvon Sarmadi corner-kick. At that point, Roanoke was cruising, and in the seventy-fifth minute, Douglass scored goal number 2 off of a penalty kick to potentially put the game away and go up 3-0. A yellow-card by Lonnie Carter in the seventy-eighth minute just added more to the frustrations of the Marlins; however, a small glimmer of hope emerged when Adam Stringer put his first goal of the season on the board for the Marlins in the eighty-sixth minute. It was too little too late as Roanoke prevailed 3-1.

Coach McFarland has not lost confidence in his team. With such a great amount of talent present on this year s squad.

 I think the rest of the season is looking up for this team. If we can get more wins like the one versus Guilford, (5-0 Sept. 24th) and further build our confidence, I think we can definitely finish strong, Coach McFarland said.