THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9410290334
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHRISTINE M. POINTS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
Midfielder Joe Landen scored the game's only goal with 12 minutes left as Roanoke College upset the Virginia Wesleyan men's soccer team, 1-0, Friday in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament semifinal.
Roanoke (10-8) was the tournament's No. 5 seed. The victory pits them against Hampden-Sydney (15-3-1), who won Friday's other semifinal over Randolph-Macon, 3-2. That game is today at 2:00 p.m.
Virginia Wesleyan's first loss of the season knocks them out of the ODAC tournament and may affect their standing in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
An aggressive first half yielded no score for either team, and while the Marlins controlled the ball throughout the game, Landen's shot got inside the right post past keeper Scott Morgenroth to give Roanoke the win.
The Marlins' best chances in the final four minutes, but Wesleyan couldn't convert on four consecutive corner kicks and on shots from inside the box.
``We have a core of eight seniors capable of playing at the best level,'' Roanoke coach Scott Allison said. ``The Marlins beat us soundly the first time we played them. They really dominated us.
``We were just able to outplay them today.''
Virginia Wesleyan is still optimistic about their chances at reaching and doing well in the NCAA tournament, which begins play next weekend.
``The national-ranking bids don't come out until Sunday night,'' said Marlins coach Sonny Travis. ``I felt confident that we will get a bid based on our regular-season performance.
``Our hats are off to Roanoke, they played a great game. We just picked the worst time not to play well, and I don't know whether or not the guys were looking ahead to the nationals and not concentrating on the tournament. A few of our big guns had an off day.''
``To say that the loss made us feel bad, is a major understatement. A win would have been really good going into the nationals,'' said freshman back Nate Hatcher. by CNB