VIRGINIA BEACH -- Senior leadership definitely stepped up when it was needed on Sunday to help the Virginia Wesleyan College men's lacrosse team open its season with a thrilling come-from-behind 14-13 win over Ferrum College Panthers.

Ferrum (2-2) led 11-8 after three quarters of play on the turf at the Dre' Bly Field at the DLH Sports Complex, took a 13-11 lead into the final 5:50 of competition.  But, Virginia Wesleyan made the plays it had to in the final minutes, highlighted by key scoring from seniors Joe Papetti (Edgewater, Md./South River) and Mike Moran (Woolwich, N.J./Kingsway Regional). 

Papetti sparked the ending scoring run with a goal off a fee from Moran with 4:20 remaining.  Thirty-seven seconds later, the Marlins tied the game, this time with Moran firing the ball into the net off an assist from Papetti.  The Marlins scored the go-ahead goal with just 12 seconds remaining when sophomore Levi Williams-Whitney (Red Deer, Alberta/Hunting Hills) fired a pass to the front of the net where Moran took it in and fired the ball into the back of the goal to give VWC the 14-13 win.

Moran's back-to-back goals were just part of a solid four-goal quarter for the senior stalwart, including the goal that tied the game at 11-all.  Papetti scored a goal in between those Moran tallies, as all three scores combined to wipe out Ferrum's 11-8 lead.  Junior Josh Currier (Peterborough, Ontario/Holy Cross-Hill Academy), John Roth (Merrick, N.Y./Calhoun), and Williams-Whitney all had assists on the Marlin goals.

Ferrum came back with goals from Marcus Boyer (Fredericsburg/Colonial Forge) and Tyler Fullem (Bel Air, Md./Harford Technical) to push back in front 13-11, before VWC answered with its game-winning finish.

It was an intense finish to a hard-fought game from the start.  Currier, Roth, and Eddie Desiderio (Floral Park, N.Y./Hill Academy, Ontario) all scored to push VWC out to a 3-0 lead, before Ferrum responded with three straight goals to tie the game.  there were six more ties after that. 

Ferrum took its first lead of the game when Kyle Lister (Calvert County, Md./Calvert) scored the first goal of the third quarter, moving the Panthers in front 7-6.  The Ferrum lead expanded to 11-8, but Virginia Wesleyan outscored the Panthers 6-3 from that point on to take the win.

Papetti emerged as VWC leading scorer with five goals and two assists, followed by Moran with four goals and one assist. Currier added two goals and two assists and Desiderio tallied two goals.  Currier led the Marlins with eight ground balls and Josh Davis (Salem/Salem) contributed with 10 face-off wins.

Fullem and Tesler scored three goals each for Ferrum. CJ Asmus (Sampsonville, S.C./Mauldin) helped the Panthers with three assists.

Senior goalie Rory Finnegan (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) came through with 15 saves for the Marlins.  John Michael Smith (Magnolia, Del./Caesar Rodney) produced 10 saves for Ferrum.

Virginia Wesleyan competes again on Saturday, March. 7, hosting Pennsylvania's Eastern University Eagles (2-0) at 1 p.m.

--AMDG--