LEXINGTON, Va. -- A determined second-half effort fell short of victory for Virginia Wesleyan College's field hockey Marlins who dropped a 2-1 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) decision to the host Generals of Washington and Lee University Wednesday.

After a sluggish start offensively in the first half, the Marlins (3-8, 1-2) controlled tempo in the second half with a stepped up offense and alert defense that held the Generals (7-5, 1-2) scoreless.  W&L edged the Marlins 6-5 in shots in the half, but VWC produced three penalty corners, while the Generals managed only one.

Viriginia Wesleyan's second half showing also cut a 2-0 Washington and Lee lead in half when sophomore Maddie Smith (Easton, Pa./Easton Area) scored on a penalty stroke in the 48th minute.

Washington and Lee took the lead in the 23rd minute when Candice Stefanic (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) scored in close, finishing off a long lead pass from Abby Avery (Houston, Texas/St. John's). The Generals quickly made it a 2-0 lead, padding their lead in the 24th minute when Sarah Arrington (Salisbury, Md./Worcester Prep) deflected in a shot by Allie Barry (Beverly, Mass./Brooks School).

While VWC controlled tempo in the second half, Washington and Lee did the same in the first half en route to outshooting the Marlins 15-3.  W&L finished with a 21-8 advantage in shots for the game, but saw VWC goalie Lindsay Baker (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) step up to make 11 saves.  Jacqueline Llewellyn (Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill) recorded four saves for the Generals in 35 minutes and Megan Axelrod (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver School) finished with one in 35 minutes.

VWC competes again on Saturday, Oct. 11, at Eastern Mennonite University at 4 p.m.

--AMDG--