Posted: Nov 08, 2008
Salem, Va. --- A second-half goal by ODAC Tournament MVP Robbie Mann gave Virginia Wesleyan, 1-0 in the ODAC Championship Saturday. The Marlins advance to the NCAA Tournament as an automatic-qualifier while the Maroons will await word from the committee tomorrow night to determine their post-season fate.
With 35-minutes remaining in the contest, Mann got a give-and-go pass from Kevin Maslyn and put the ball past goalkeeper Adam Thompson into the back of the net for his second goal of the season. The Maroons had several opportunities late in the game, but was unable to convert.
Roanoke held a 12-11 edge on shots, but the Marlins attacked the net better with an 8-3 shots on goal advantage. There was a total of 32 fouls with Roanoke totaling 19 in the match.
Virginia Wesleyan's Jay Cole, in only his second start of the season, captured his all-tournament honor performance with three saves on the evening. He was a big part in the 4-1 win against Lynchburg on penalty kicks Wednesday evening in the semifinal round.
Thompson finished with seven saves for Roanoke. It tied a season-high, with the other coming against the Marlins on Sept. 20 at Virginia Beach. He has a 0.50 goals against average, which is ranked in the top-10 nationally along with an .836 save percentage. His 89 career saves ranks him 10th all-time at Roanoke. His 12 career shutouts rank him fourth as well.
Michael Rouhana and Michael Walter each had two shots, one on goal to lead the Maroons offensively. Brandon Massie, last year's ODAC Player of the Year, was held scoreless but led the Marlins with four shots, three on goal. Mann had two shots on goal.
Roanoke is now 20-13 all-time in the ODAC Tournament, 13-4 since 2001. The Maroons are now 6-3 in ODAC Championship matches, 1-5 to Virginia Wesleyan in the finals since 1990. The loss broke a three-game win streak against the Marlins as they now own a 20-14-1 series advantage. In the ODAC Tournament the series is tied at 5-5.
Cameron Lee, Rouhana and Chris Collins were each tabbed All-ODAC Tournament honors. Roanoke's fate will be decided tomorrow night to see whether or not they will be playing next week in the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid.
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