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| Photo by BEN RUEHLMANN Junior Caleb Hill goes up for a header, sandwiched between two opponents. |
As the men's soccer team were enjoying their winning streak, they were shocked by a loss to the Hornets of Lynchburg College, who are currently 8th place in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. However, they must continue looking ahead and focusing on the future games that may determine the ODAC tournament seedings.
With an easy 7-0 win against Emory and Henry College on Oct. 4, the Marlins knew that the next few games would be more of a challenge. "Team chemistry has really played a role in our winning streak," said head coach Sonny Travis. "They have finally come together as a whole and not an individual sport." That chemistry was definitely present as the men rode a nine-game winning streak. The upperclassmen played a significant role in the victories as senior Phil Neiland and sophomore Kelvin Murray contributed a goal each as the men rolled past Hampden-Sydney College 2-0 on Oct. 8.
"We realized we couldn't mess up anymore after those first two losses," said junior Matt Green. "We had to step up and show that we were a better team than how we had been playing before." The next game to focus on was the Eastern Mennonite University match on Oct. 11 on Royals territory. The defense was faced with most of the action as EMU out-shot the Marlins 19-8, with senior goalkeeper Sean Wheaton contributing six saves. A loan goal was made on a team effort after the ball was crossed off of a corner kick fifteen minutes into the game, resulting in a 1-0 victory.
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| Photo by BEN RUEHLMANN Sophomore Kelvin Murray battles an opponent for possession. |
"The defensive unit has been playing outstanding along with superb goalkeeping," said Travis. "It's also nice to have different players playing throughout the game that help to contribute to the success instead of just the starters." After defeating Guilford 2-0 on Oct. 13, the Marlins looked forward to their longtime rivals Washington and Lee in a match set for Oct. 18. Before a crowd of 1,055 fans, the men on both teams found themselves intense in their level of play as Wesleyan was credited with 19 fouls and W&L was credited with 14. With only a few minutes left in the first half, senior Phil Neiland was finally able to rip one into the goal on an assist from sophomore Ross McLeod. The Marlins, however, were not finished with bringing down the Generals’ morale as sophomore All-American Kelvin Murray added a second goal in the second half to secure the 2-0 win.
"Murray has had a good season and the team has done well in finding him as the ‘go-to' guy in games," said Travis. Murray is not only the "go-to" guy, but the team player as he currently leads the team with 9 goals and 9 assists, and is second in the conference in points with 27. He trails Bridgewater's In Meang by two points. "Our four captains have done an excellent job and have brought the young players together both on and off the field in return shows with victories," said Travis. Wesleyan's winning streak came to an end following a 2-1 loss to Lynchburg on Oct. 21. Junior Caleb Hill forced the overtime after tying the game 1-1 with five minutes left in regulation time. However, the Hornets were able to strike first in the sudden-death overtime for the win.
The Marlins will finish up the regular season with two important away games. They will first face the Maroons of Roanoke College on Oct. 25. Roanoke is currently second in the ODAC and Wesleyan must pull out a win to secure first place in the ODAC. They will conclude the season at Bridgewater College when they square off against the Eagles on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Bridgewater also poses a threat to Wesleyan as they are currently third in the ODAC.
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| Photo By BEN RUEHLMANN Freshman Kelly Donnelly fights a Messiah player for the ball as junior Sharon Hay awaits the outcome. |
After riding a ten-game winning streak, the women's soccer team suffered their first loss of the season as No. 11 Messiah College defeated the Lady Marlins 4-1 on Oct. 4. "We gave too much respect," said head coach Jeff Bowers. "We weren't prepared mentally to play and we were out of rhythm, which could have been because of the hurricane."
Messiah found the back of the net three times before senior captain Katie Barg scored the Lady Marlins’ lone goal. Following the loss, the Lady Marlins have come back to win four games in a row. "We learned nothing is for sure," said first-year midfielder Kelly Donnelly. "We just have to play a little harder everyday." The start of their comeback came with a 1-0 win over Bridgewater College on Oct. 9. Senior Megan Bronstein connected on a pass from senior back captain Merrie Tobler.
The Lady Marlins won another game 1-0, this time against Roanoke College on Oct. 11. Donnelly scored when she was allowed a free kick that fired past the goalie to score. On Oct.15, the Lady Marlins traveled to Washington and Lee University to face the Generals and came away with an important 1-0 victory. This victory not only handed Washington and Lee their first loss of the season, but was done without nine players who were suspended due to a team policy violation.
"This was a conference game, they were ranked higher than us, so it was an important game for us to win," Bowers said of the victory. “It was a turning point in our season and I think it says a lot about our team.” The only goal came from junior forward Sharon Hay with an assist from sophomore midfielder Marybeth Shanks. Senior goalie Sabrina Hurczyn recorded her first shutout of the season. Over Parent's Weekend, Wesleyan defeated Guilford College 3-0 on Oct. 18. Junior back Michelle Bolling got the scoring underway with her first career goal. Bronstein and sophomore midfielder Danielle Burns each scored one goal to secure the win.
Bolling's goal made her the 18th Lady Marlin to score this season. The current winning streak continued on Tuesday, Oct. 21 as the Lady Marlins defeated Sweet Briar College 7-0. The Lady Marlins will play their last regular home season on Friday, Oct. 21 as they host Lynchburg College at 7 p.m. Lynchburg is currently third in the ODAC.
"This will be a big game against Lynchburg," said Bowers. "This will determine the home-field advantage in the ODAC." However, while the schedule says their season ends on Oct. 29 at Longwood University, Bowers is looking at an extended season. "I would like to finish the year strong and receive an NCAA bid to compete for the championship," said Bowers. “If you want to be a good team, you start playing in October, because that’s when good teams win. We control where we want to finish.”
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