ASHLAND, Va. -- Virginia Wesleyan College's defense finally clicked in to produce a strong second half Thursday in field hockey competition at Randolph-Macon College, but one good half was not enough to produce a win for the visiting Marlins.

The host Yellow Jackets scored five goals in the first half and rode that early scoring to a 6-1 victory over VWC in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference opener for both teams. 

After surrendering 26 shots in the first half, the Marlin defense limited the Jackets (2-4, 1-0) to only nine shots in the second half.  But, VWC (0-6, 0-1) was unable to spark much of an offense in either half and managed just eight shots for the game.  R-MC also produced a 12-5 advantage in penalty corners, helped by a 7-0 spread in the first half.

Rookie Taylor Lober (Wilmington, Del./Concord)continued to produce a positive effort for the Marlins as she led the team with three shots and scored VWC's only goal, her third of the season.  She knocked the ball into the cage in the 21st minute, cutting an R-MC lead to 3-1. 

But, the Jackets came back to tack on two more scores before the end of the half, before managing just one goal in the second half.  Mary McCarthy (Rixeyville, Va./Culpeper) and Monica Jenkins (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper) scored two goals each for the Jackets.

Rookie Laura Thorn (Owings, Md./Prince Frederick Calvert)made her debut in goal for Virginia Wesleyan and turned in a solid effort with 16 saves.  Nicole Woodworth (Culpeper, Va./Eastern View) had four saves and Steph Talley (Bordentown, N.J./Bordentown) one for R-MC.

Virginia Wesleyan will seek its first victory of the season on Saturday, Sept. 18, when the Marlins play on campus, hosting Shenandoah University at 1 p.m. in a non-conference game. The game will be held at Marlins Field, adjacent to the Trinder Center.

--AMDG--