Stunner in Salem! No. 8 VWC topples No. 1 Roanoke
SALEM, Va. -- Virginia Wesleyan College's men's soccer team seems to be finding its stride at the perfect time of the season.
The Marlins posted a major victory Saturday night when they stunned top-seeded Roanoke College 2-0 in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference quarterfinal game played on the Maroons' field. Virginia Wesleyan (7-10-1) entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed, while Roanoke (12-6-1), the ODAC leader most of the season, was the No. 1 seed.
"This was one of our most complete games all fall," said an elated VWC head coach Mike McFarland. "The guys put it all together tonight. Any time you play someone who beat you the first time around, some motivation already there. Now the guys are playing with confidence as a whole, and particularly on defense. Some of the luck we didn't have in the beginning of the fall is now going our way. They're excited and playing with great energy. They're working hard and it's paying off."
Virginia Wesleyan advances to the semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 1, when the Marlins play at Randolph College at a time to be announced. Randolph rallied for a 2-1 overtime win over Randolph-Macon College in another quarterfinal contest on Saturday.
Saturday's victory marked the third consecutive win for Virginia Wesleyan (7-10-1), and the fourth in five games. It also avenged a tough 3-2 loss at Roanoke in the regular season meeting in September. The Maroons scored two goals in the final 21 minutes to pull out that win. It was one of eight one-goal losses for VWC this year, including five to ODAC opponents.
But, the Marlins traveled to Salem focused on playing well and the goal was achieved. Virginia Wesleyan came out strong and attacked the goal consistently. While the Marlins took seven shots in the first half, the defense limited Roanoke to just one.
Virginia Wesleyan scored on its fifth shot when rookie Tanner East (Salisbury, Md./Parkside) knocked the ball into the right side of the goal in the 23rd minute. The teams traded a shot each in the following minutes, before sophomoreJordan Elgin (Coppell, Texas/Coppell) came through with a header off the post into the left side of the game in the 39th minute.
Virginia Wesleyan managed only three shots in the second half, but maintained a solid effort defensively to keep the Maroons out of the net.
Virginia Wesleyan out-shot Roanoke 10-7 overall, while the Maroons held the advantage in corner kicks, 7-3.
Senior goalie Ryan Zmuda (Virginia Beach/Princess Anne) recorded three saves in goal for the Marlins. Avery Makel (Nellysford, Va./Nelson County) finished with three saves for Roanoke.
