Early Elimination
Field Hockey celebrates overtime win against St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
After finishing the season with a 4-4 conference record, field hockey earned the No. 5 spot in the ODAC Championship Tournament to face off against No. 4 Washington and Lee University (5-3 in conference) in the first round. The Generals rolled over the Marlins in a 7-0 shutout. The Marlin’s defense and offense was nowhere to be found as the Generals outshot them 22-1 and 13-1 in shots on goal. The pressure was on for 3-time ODAC Defensive Player of the Week, who, in 45 minutes of play, recorded 6 saves but allowed 6 goals.
Semifinal Woes
Men’s Soccer huddles at match on Sept. 7.
Men’s Soccer finished strong, sweeping the Week 10 offensive and defensive ODAC Player of the Week awards after their 2-0 shutout victory against Hampden-Sydney. They earned the No. 3 seed in the ODAC Championship Tournament with a conference record of 7-2-1. The team matched up against No. 6 Shenandoah in the first round of playoffs, defeating them in a 3-0 shutout, their eighth shutout of the season. Moving onto the semifinals, the Marlins faced the dominant No. 2 Washington and Lee Generals (6-0-4 in conference). The game was tight, with Washington and Lee ultimately overcoming the Marlins in a 3-2 victory. The Marlins had a rough night of finishing, outshooting the Generals 22 to 6 and 8 to 3 in shots on goal. The Generals’ defense came up big with 6 saves to the Marlins’ 0. Head coach Shane Kohler commented on the team’s postseason performance: “We had a good performance against W&L, and unfortunately it just didn’t go our way. We created a number of goal scoring opportunities and did a great job limiting their chances. When you out shoot a team 22-6, you typically are doing something well and controlling the match. It really came down to that we were unable to take advantage of our chances, while W&L was able to convert. It was a tough way to end our Fall as we had higher aspirations for this season. We’ll continue to work towards those goals next year but this one will sting for a while,” Kohler said.
Dreams end in a loss
Women’s Soccer sophomore Emma Shuey evades goalie to score against Roanoke College.
Ranked No. 1 in the ODAC preseason poll, Women’s Soccer fell short of expectations, finishing third with a conference record of 8-2. They faced No. 6 Shenandoah University in the first round of playoffs, scoring 2 early goals back to back without an answer from Shenandoah and an additional goal midway through the second half, bringing the score to 3-0. The Hornets attempted a comeback, scoring 2 goals back to back as the second half neared its end, but the Marlins successfully crushed the Hornets hopes, keeping the score at 3-2. The Marlins then battled No. 2 Lynchburg in the semifinals for a spot in the championship. The Hornets got ahead early, scoring two goals in the first half, and the Marlins responded with two of their own goals in the second half. With the score tied and less than two minutes of play left, the Marlins scored, upsetting the Hornets. Advancing to the championship, the Marlins faced the undefeated, No. 1 Washington and Lee Generals. The Generals went up one goal late in the first half as the Marlins struggled to generate offense, only getting off a single shot on goal attempt in the entire first half. In the second half, the Marlins managed 9 shot attempts with one shot on goal; however the Generals successfully defended against the Marlins, keeping the final score 1-0 and squashing the Marlin’s chance at a repeat title. Head coach Jeff Bowers commented on the team’s performance: “We had a great run in the ODAC Tournament and played extremely well in both the semifinals and finals. The group of seniors played in four straight ODAC Championships, and it’s a testament to their hard work during the last four years. I am extremely grateful for their leadership,” Bowers said.
Tough loss, NCAA bid
Women’s Volleyball sophomore Madi Schmidt beaming at tournament match against Roanoke.
Women’s Volleyball wrapped up conference play with a win against Shenandoah University in four sets, ending with a dominant 11-1 record to earn the No. 2 seed in the tournament. In the first round, the Marlins battled against No. 7 Roanoke College, winning in 4 sets to advance to the semifinals. There they faced No. 3 Bridgewater College, winning once again in four sets and booking their ticket to the championship. The only thing in their way of adding their second championship to their belt, after a five-year drought, was the undefeated Washington & Lee Generals. The two teams fought a tough battle, alternating sets taken. The Marlins started off strong, taking the first set by two points, but the Generals fought back to take the second set by a whopping 12 points. The Marlins did not take too kindly to this, biting back in the third set to win it by 5 points, but once again, the Generals stood their ground, refusing to be eliminated and taking the fourth set, pushing the game to five sets. The fifth set was another nail biter, with the two teams trading blows, but ultimately the Generals took the fifth set 15-12. Despite the loss, the Marlins are not done yet. The team still has a chance to take home a championship, as they have qualified for an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament. They are set to play Springfield on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 4:30 p.m.
By: Sydnee Washington
sawashington2@vwu.edu
