VIRGINIA BEACH -- Nine Marlins combined to score 10 goals Tuesday as Virginia Wesleyan College's women's soccer team posted a 10-0 Old Dominion Athletic Conference victory over the visiting Royals of Eastern Mennonite University.

Several hours after both national polls (National Soccer Coaches Association of America and D3soccer.com) ranked VWC No. 5 among the best teams in the nation, the Marlins started strong and finished calmly against the player-depleted EMU team.  The Royals played the entire game on Foster Field at the Trinder Center with out a substitution.

Senior Christina Fernandes (Tinton Falls, N.J./Tinton Falls) scored two goals for the Marlins (13-0-1, 8-0-1), starting the scoring only 1:17 into the competition.  She scored again in the sixth minute.

Virginia Wesleyan scored four goals within the first seven minutes of the game and added two more before the half ended.  Junior Marta Deptula (Haskell, N.J./Paramus Catholic) opened second half scoring 24 seconds into the second half and the Marlins added three more scores in the next 17 minutes.

After rookie Samantha Sanders (Allentown, Pa./Fleetwood) scored in the 63rd minute, the Marlins began a passing game each time they possessed the ball.

Virginia Wesleyan out-shot EMU 26-2 and produced a 12-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Erica Keil (Wayne, N.J./DePaul), Catherine Brown (Somerville, N.J./Somerville), and Mackenzie McGurgan (Conway, Pa./Freedom Area) all saw time in front of the goal for the Marlins.  Becca Borg (Gig Harbor, Wash./Peninsula) recorded four saves for EMU.

Tuesday's game was the Pink Game for VWC.  All money raised will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the fight against breast cancer.

Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Bridgewater College at 4 p.m.

--AMDG--