VIRGINIA BEACH-- Virginia Wesleyan College's field hockey team played its first home game of the season in five starts on Saturday and kept the home fans happy.

Senior Nikki Cuthbert (Morrisville, Pa./Fairless Hills Pennsbury) came through with a short shot on the left side of the cage to score with 31:40 played and that score held up the rest of the way in a 1-0 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) victory over Washington and Lee University.

Cuthbert knocked the ball in off a feed from Kelly Mullahy (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.  VWC (4-1, 1-0) had several other scoring chances, but could not convert, particularly in the second half.

Virginia Wesleyan out-shot Washington and Lee 7-4 in the second half and saw sophomore Sam Jackson (Manassas/Osbourn) emerge with two solid shots that could have extended the lead. Jackson was part of a 2-on-1 situation for a shot from the left, but watched it just miss the right side of the cage with 13:40 remaining to be played.

With 9:51 on the clock, Jackson shook off the Washington and Lee defense for a wide open shot from the left, but Generals' goalie Sally Curtiss (Morristown, N.J./Madison) stepped up to make the crucial save for Washington and Lee (1-6, 0-2).

The Generals threatened late in the game, playing more aggressively near the goal.  Virginia Wesleyan's defense came through to thwart the offense however, stepping in to take the ball away, including on a couple of penalty corner situtions. Jillian Gorman (Nassawadox/Eastville Northampton), Jenny Wilkins (Chesapeake/Virginia Beach Bishop Sullivan), Tanya Puccio (Moorpark, Calif./Moorpark) and Danielle Pellerin (Long Valley, N.J./Chester West Morris) keyed the defensive effort for VWC.

Pellerin also came through for the Marlins offensively, helping to get the ball through the Washington and Lee defenders.  Seniors Taylor Lober (Wilmington, Del./Concord) and Martha Staring (Little Falls, N.Y./Little Falls), rookie Asiah Allen (St. Louis, Mo./Pattonville), and Jackson were consistent in that effort as well.

Virginia Wesleyan finished with a 13-6 advantage in shots, helped by a 6-2 first half.  The Marlins also posted a 6-1 difference in penalty corners in the first half and finished with an 11-8 advantage for the game.

Junior goalie Lindsay Baker (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) produced four saves for the Marlins, while Curtiss came up with three for Washington and Lee.  Megan Axelrod (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) started in goal for the Generals and played the first half, before Curtiss took over to start the second half.

Virginia Wesleyan returns to Marlins Field on Sunday, Sept. 22, hosting Division II Newberry College of South Carolina.   The Wolves (0-2) will be playing their first game since Sept. 7.

--AMDG--