VIRGINIA BEACH -- Tim Gunn was in no big hurry to get rid of the ball.

Despite being pursued in both directions near the goal, Gunn (Sparks, Md./Hereford) protected the ball with a steady stick, all while he fended off aggressive Hampden-Sydney College players and alertly watched for a play.

With only 2:12 remaining in Wednesday's Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) contest on Foster Field at the Trinder Center, Gunn found the opening he'd been waiting for.  He fired the ball through the H-SC defense to senior teammate Joe Papetti (Edgewater, Md./South River), who fired it into the goal to give Virginia Wesleyan as 12-10 lead.

It was a lead that held up the rest of the game, as VWC claimed a hard-fought win in a battle between regionally-ranked teams.  While H-SC entered the game at No. 11 in the South Region, VWC was ranked No. 14.

The victory not only bolstered that ranking for VWC, but also improved the Marlins' overall record to 10-4.  The Marlins remain in second place in the current ODAC standings with a 7-1 record, extending the program record for league victories. H-SC, which lost to Virginia Wesleyan for the second time in the past three seasons, fell to 8-6 overall and to 5-3 in the league.

Wednesday's game was controlled from the start by the host team as the Marlins shot out to a 3-0 lead on goals from junior Josh Currier (Peterborough, Ontario/Holy Name-Hill Academy), rookie Nick Zepko (Edgewater, Md./Archbishop Spalding), and senior Mike Moran (Woolwich, N.J./Kingsway Regional).

After Jacke Koferl (Huntersville, N.C./Lake Norman) ended the run with a goal for H-SC with 7:32 remaining in the first quarter, sophomore Eddie Desiderio (Floral Park, N.Y./Hill Academy, Ontario) scored to give VWC a 4-1 lead.  A goal by Fleet Jernigan (Kitty Hawk, N.C./First Flight) brought the Tigers back to within two goals before the quarter ended.

That kind of scoring pattern prevailed through the remainder of the game, as Virginia Wesleyan repeatedly pushed out to three-goal leads, only to have the Tigers come through with timely goals to keep the Marlins from breaking away. 

VWC led by three seven times through the second, third, and fourth quarters, with the last triple-goal lead at 11-8 after junior Alden Clapp (Wyoming, Del./Caesar Rodney) fired the ball in the middle of the net with 10:00 remaining to be played. H-SC answered with its only two-goal run of the game, as Thomas Armstrong (Charlottesville, N.C./Charlotte Latin) and Mike Funk (Chantilly/Middleburg) scored within 2:30 of each other to pull H-SC within an 11-10 score with 7:01 on the clock.

VWC's defense came through when it had to in the final minutes however, thwarting the Tigers' moves toward the goal by forcing crucial turnovers and eating time off the clock, leading to the Gunn-to-Papetti connection to ice the win.

Currier and Gunn led all scoring with three goals each and Papetti scored two. In addition to scoring a goal, Moran led the Marlins with a pair of assists.

Armstrong, Funk, and Jernigan scored two goals each for H-SC.  Armstrong, Fun, and Abbot Wallenborn (Crozet/Western Albemarle) recorded two assists each for the Tigers.

Dontae Buck (Baltimore/Baltimore City College) turned in an impressive face-off effort for the Tigers, winning 20-of-25 attempts.

Senior Rory Finnegan (Lowell, Mass./Lowell), coming off an ODAC Player of the Week honor, back that recognition with 13 saves against the Tigers. David Nofsinger (Richmond/Collegiate School) finished with 11 stops for H-SC.

Virginia Wesleyan will cap the regular season on Saturday, April 28, when the Marlins host Washington and Lee University's Generals in ODAC competition beginning at 1 p.m.  WLU is currently 10-6 overall and ranked No. 13 in the South Region.  It will also be Senior Day for the Marlins.

--AMDG--