VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Virginia Wesleyan men's soccer team defeated the Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon College 2-1 on Saturday night to kick off the 2022 ODAC Men's Soccer Tournament at the Tassos Paphites Soccer Complex in Virginia Beach, VA.
Ethan Clark and
Everett McCloskey scored the two Marlin goals securing the Marlins' opportunity to advance to the ODAC semifinal match at Washington and Lee on Wednesday.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Virginia Wesleyan 2 - Randolph-Macon
Records: Virginia Wesleyan 12-3-4 | Randolph-Macon 8-6-3
Location: Tassos Paphites Soccer Complex | Virginia Beach, VA
FIRST HALF
The Marlins came out of the gate with energy knowing the first to score had the upper hand in the match. Not even ten minutes into the contest,
Ethan Clark, a sophomore from Chesapeake, VA, found the back of the net off a free-kick opportunity about 30 yards from the goal. Virginia Wesleyan held on to their 1-0 advantage throughout the first half despite Randolph-Macon taking ten shots. VWU managed to get off 11 shots in the first half.
SECOND HALF
The teams came out of the break with urgency as Randolph-Macon was eager to find an equalizer while Virginia Wesleyan needed to find an assurance goal. The Yellow Jackets were the first to score in the second half knotting the score at one goal each in the 51st minute as R-MC controlled the pace of the half. Throughout the remainder of the second half, neither team found the back of the goal with ample opportunities coming from both sides as R-MC took 16 shots and VWU had 12. Thus overtime was needed.
OVERTIME
The new NCAA rules dictate that in the postseason teams will play out two 10-minute overtime periods. If a winner has yet to be determined then the teams would go to penalty kicks.
The teams came out in the first overtime period tied but ready to play for the win. Virginia Wesleyan controlled most of the possession time and took four shots while holding Randolph-Macon back to play defense. However, neither team put the ball in the back of the net during overtime 1.
In overtime 2, the Marlins came out with momentum, and the crowd behind them, and outshot the Yellow Jackets eight to three. As the time on the clock ticked down, it looked as though the penalty kicks were going to be a real possibility until
Everett McCloskey sent the ball into the back of the net off a pass from
Nate Mitchell with 41 seconds left in the match putting the Marlins ahead 2-1. VWU held R-MC at bay in the final 40 seconds of the game to win 2-1 in double overtime.
KEY STATS
UP NEXT
Virginia Wesleyan is back in action on Wednesday for the semifinal round of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championship Tournament. The Marlins will face the Generals of Washington and Lee with a game time still to be determined.
