Men's Soccer
Goalie-fed goal helps ignite Marlins to impressive win
September 17, 2005
VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA — Kyle Williams didn't score a goal in Virginia Wesleyan College's impressive 5-1 victory over Guilford College on Saturday, but he did emerge as the catalyst that broke open a tight Old Dominion Athletic Conference contest in the second half.
Williams (Springfield, VA/Robert E. Lee), the Marlins' sophomore goalie, turned what could have been a game-tying scoring opportunity for Guilford into a game-breaking scoring run for Virginia Wesleyan. Guilford pushed the ball down field quickly and had players moving toward the goal in the middle as a Quaker player launched a hard cross from the right. But, Williams boldly moved into the crowd, squelched any shot by intercepting the ball, and then alertly fired it out in front to junior Ryan Cassel (Herndon, VA/Vienna Oakton).
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In a matter of seconds, the fleet-footed Cassel advanced the ball to the Guilford goal and looked for his teammates. Senior Kelvin Murray (Virginia Beach, VA/Ocean Lakes) was there and ripped the ball into the goal, finishing a cross from the left from Cassel. The goal in the 75th minute pushed Virginia Wesleyan into a more comfortable 3-1 lead and virtually put the Marlins in control the remainder of the game.
The goal also ended what was becoming a frustrating night for Murray, the Marlin's two-time All-American. After beating the Guilford defense on numerous occasions, Murray found himself with unobstructed shots at the goal, only to see his attempts sailed everywhere but into the net. He ripped off a career-high 10 shots, becoming the first VWC player to attempt double-figure shots since Vinnie Scuillo recorded 10 against Roanoke College in 2000.
Murray did finish with two goals however, as he also scored the Marlins' fourth goal in the 85th minute. He stole a pass from the Quakers and used his quickness to turn the ball in the other direction for a shot that beat the Guilford defense.
Guilford (2-2-2) entered the game off a rousing 3-3 tie with Mount Olive College, the nation's No. 12-ranked Division II team, kept pace for the most part with the Marlins in the first half, as VWC outshot the Quakers 7-4.
But, that changed in the second half when the Quakers began to tire and had some problems with Virginia Wesleyan's overall speed and quickness. The Marlins' stepped-up offensive pace, sparked in part by the efforts of sophomore Damien Woodley (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro) and rookies Jonathan Forte (Fenwick Island, DE/Indian River) and Robert Mann (Chesapeake, VA/Hickory), kept the Quakers busy as Virginia Wesleyan outshot Guilford 19-1 in the second half and finished the game with a 26-5 advantage.
Virginia Wesleyan finally hit the scoreboard when Forte and Mann combined efforts for the goal. Forte came up with the assist on a Mann header that resulted in his first intercollegiate goal, only 17 seconds into play in the second half. The Marlins' celebration period was short however, as Guilford tied the score 96 seconds later when Innocent Geoffrey knocked the ball into the net on a slide, capping a cross from Lenny Niedosik.
The teams played with the 1-1 score for about eight minutes, before the Forte-Mann combination struck again. This time it was Mann with a close-range shot that was blocked by the Quaker defense. But, Forte was right there for the rebound, firing the ball past the Quakers for the goal that gave VWC a 2-1 lead in the 54th minute.
VWC had several scoring opportunities in the ensuing minutes miss the mark, but began its pull-away when Williams came up with the grab-and-pass that ignited the Marlins the rest of the way.
Senior standout Chris Mills (Virginia Beach, VA/Salem), a defensive leader for the Marlins, produced the final goal of the game when he stunned the Quakers by connecting on a free kick from the middle of the field from about 35 yards out.
Virginia Wesleyan returns to competition on Sunday, September 18, hosting the Wasps of Emory & Henry College in another ODAC contest. Game time is 3:00 p.m. at the Trinder Center.
GUILFORD 0 1 - 1
VIRGINIA WESLEYAN 0 5 - 5
Goals: Virginia Wesleyan (Murray 2, Mann, Forte, Mills); Guilford (Geoffrey)
Assists: Virginia Wesleyan (Forte, Cassel); Guilford (Niedosik)
Shots: Virginia Wesleyan 26; Guilford 5
Corner kicks: Virginia Wesleyan 7; Guilford 2
Fouls: Virginia Wesleyan 10; Guilford 13
Saves: Virginia Wesleyan (Williams 2); Guilford (Campbell 7)
—VWC—
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