October 4, 2002

Photo by BEN RUEHLMANN Kelvin Murray prepares to cross the ball against Wesley College at the Marlins Adidas Kick Off Classic.

Leading the team with 7 goals and 3 assists, Murray admits he can’t do it alone. “I feed off my teammates,” said Murray. “When they play well it makes my job easier and it builds confidence.” In adding such a spark to the Marlins offense, Murray has helped the team to achieve first place rankings in the ODAC and South Region. The Marlins are currently ranked fourth in the nation for Division III soccer.

Playing on a successful team is nothing new for Murray. Before becoming a Marlin, Murray was a member of the Beach FC Desperados, winners of four consecutive state titles. He also was a member of the Virginia State ODP Team and Region One Champions. He also played in high school for Ocean Lakes in Virginia Beach, where he was a varsity player for three years.

For two consecutive years he was selected best offensive player at Ocean Lakes, and was voted captain his senior year. Also in his senior year he was selected for a plethora of accoludes. Murray was named 1st Team All-Beach District, 1st Team All-Tidewater, 1st Team All-Region, 2nd Team All-State, and was selected to play in the East vs. West All-Star game. He remains the all-time leading scorer and points leader for Ocean Lakes. No wonder the coaching staff was so pleased when he decided to make Virginia Wesleyan his first choice. “We were very happy when he committed,” said assistant coach Ryan Molloy. “We knew we had a division one goal scorer.”

While interested in both Francis Marion College and NC State, Murray chose Virginia Wesleyan for a number of reasons. “I liked the program’s reputation, good coaching staff, and good facilities,” said Murray. “I also like the location because it was close to home.” With a promising future ahead, everything seemed to be perfectly falling into place. Unfortunately, in the first fifteen minutes of the first game of the 2001 season, Murray suffered an injury that would sideline him for the remainder of his first college season.
“I was mad,” said Murray. “I was looking forward to the season because I knew I was capable of making an impact during my first year on the team.”

Murray had fractured his lower tibia, but this was not a new injury. He injured it for the first time in his junior year of high school while playing soccer. “It had been casted and I thought it was healed,” said Murray. “The doctor had even released me to play.” This second time around he was just merely running down the field when it went out on him. Murray then had to have it recast and went through surgery. A bone graph was taken from his knee and put into his ankle, where two pins hold everything into place.

But even in that short span of fifteen minutes Murray’s field presence had been established. Without Murray on the field last year the team definitely suffered a loss. “Last year we lost 6 games by one goal each,” said head coach Sonny Travis. “Kelvin would have made a difference in those games.” Murray’s teammates couldn’t agree more. “I was really disappointed,” said junior Pat McStay. “I was upset because he is a true forward and knows how to put the ball in the net.” Now that he is back out on the field, his noteworthy impact is creating an unstoppable marlin soccer team.

“It’s a difference between night and day,” said senior captain Josh Nolz. “He is our go-to man up top and even though he is a freshman, he is still a leader on our team.” Nolz and sophomore Caleb Hill are the second leading scorerers behind Murray. They each have recorded five goals. Hill is a defender who has been named this weeks ODAC player of the week. “Our defense comes out and plays hard,” said Hill. “We play togther, it is a team effort on both sides of the ball, offense and defense.”

The solid defense has played a big role in the Marlins undefeated record thus far. “Our defense is playing solid,” said defender Conor Dolan. “We know each others every move and we can only get better.” Junior goalie Sean Wheaton has given up seven goals in the first ten games. He has recorded an outstanding 56 saves on the season. “ The key to our defense is Wheaton,” said Hill. “It builds our confidence knowing he’s back there to cover for our mistakes. Murray credits the entire team for his success thus far.

“One of our mottos is to play for the team and play for each other,” said Murray. “We are like one huge family.” Murray’s goals are in the vision of his teammates as well. The Marlins take each game one step at a time but their hopes are set high for advancing into post-season play. “I would not trade Kelvin Murray for any other forward in the ODAC,” said Travis. “He is going to be a big part of our program for four years.”

Bouncing back from an injury is a challenge that Murray has made look like a walk in the park. His dedication and desire reflects his ability to succeed thus far and only leaves room for more front line action to come. The Marlins take on Eastern Mennonite University at Foster field Sat. Oct. 5, at 2 p.m.

Fall Sports Update

The latest on Cross Country

- “Magner, O’Connell and Kilhefner all ran outstanding races.”

-Head Coach, Keith Moore

Site created and maintained by Linda De Rosa.