VIRGINIA BEACH -- A valiant second half effort helped Virginia Wesleyan College's field hockey Marlin to battle back to create a 2-2 tie with Shenandoah University on Saturday.

It was strong enough to force an overtime session, where the first team to score in a 7v7 showdown took the win.  Shenandoah emerged as that team, finding the goal in the 74th minute to post the 3-2 Old Dominion Athletic Conference win at the U.S. National Training Center.

Kelanie Bailey (Norfolk/Maury) scored the winning goal for the visiting Hornets (6-5, 1-2), knocking the ball into the right side of the cage off a cross from the left from Alexandra Darrow (Chesapeake/Western Branch).

It was a heart-breaking finish for the host Marlins (3-7, 1-2) who overcame a sluggish first half to play an aggressive second half.  Courtney Pollard (Lebanon, N.H./Lebanon) struck first for VWC, pulling the Marlins within a 2-1 score when she knocked the ball in off an assist from Taylor Lober (Wilmington, Del./Concord) in the 50th minute.

The Marlins, sparked by Nikki Cuthbert (Morrisville, Pa./Fairless Hills Pennsbury), Courtney Copeland (Yorktown/Tabb), Jillian Gorman (Nassawadox/Eastville Northampton), and Kelly Mullahy (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) produced several other scoring chances in the ensuing minutes, keeping the pressure a Shenandoah team that dominated the first half.  The VWC effort paid off in the 65th minute when Lober fired the ball past the goalie to tie the score.

Shenandoah finished with a 19-9 advantage in shots and an 11-6 edge in penalty corners.

VWC sophomore goalieLindsay Baker (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) finished with six saves.  SU junior goalie Sarah Clare (Mechanicsville/Lee-Davis) produced four saves.

Virginia Wesleyan returns to competition on Tuesday, Oct. 2, in ODAC competition at Randolph-Macon College beginning at 3:30 p.m.

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