Posted: Jun 16, 2015
For the first time since 2002, and the second time in school history, the Maroons finished undefeated in the ODAC regular season, winning a school-record 10 ODAC contests. The Maroons' 15-3-2 record ties with the 2000 team as the fifth-highest single season win total in school-history. The Maroons won the ODAC Regular Season Title for the 14th time overall and the third time in last four years.
The Maroons went undefeated in the first five games of the regular season, starting off with a record of 4-0-1. Roanoke went 1-0-1 in the Roanoke invitational, tying Case Western Reserve in the season opener, then handily defeating Averett 5-1. The Maroons went on to win both games of the Lynchburg Invitational, besting Greensboro and Oglethorpe, both by the score of 2-0. Roanoke won the ODAC opener against Shenandoah, topping the Hornets 4-1. Roanoke took two losses in the regular season, both games 11 days apart from one another, falling to Berry and #22 Salisbury.
However, after the Salisbury loss, Roanoke bounced back and went on the longest unbeaten streak for the program since 1996. The Maroons topped Bridgewater and Randolph-Macon, before tying Virginia Wesleyan on the road, 0-0. After the Va. Wesleyan draw, Roanoke rattled off six consecutive wins through the end of the regular season, including defeating Lynchburg for the first time since 2007. The Maroons outscored their opponents 14-4 in those six games, capturing the ODAC Regular Season title for the 14th time in school history.
The Maroons moved on to the ODAC Tournament, first defeating Eastern Mennonite, 1-0 in the quarterfinal round. Roanoke took on Washington & Lee in the semifinals, topping the Generals 5-1. However, the winning streak came to a close in the ODAC Championship game, when Lynchburg sank a header off of a corner kick for the ODAC Title.
Marc Dinkel led the Maroons and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in numerous statistical categories. Dinkel finished the season with 12 goals and 13 assists for a total of 37 points. His 37 points this season ranks fifth all-time in single season points at Roanoke College, just one behind head coach Ryan Pflugrad. He also ranked second in the ODAC in game-winning goals, netting four this season.
Robby Lentine followed Dinkel in scoring, netting five goals while dishing out five assists as well. His five assists ranked sixth in the ODAC. Tyler Carbaugh finished third on the squad in scoring (4) and second in assists with six. His six assists were good enough to rank third among all players in the conference. Carbaugh ranked third in the conference in game-winning goals with three. He also ranks eighth all-time at Roanoke College in game-winners with six. 13 different players combined for Roanoke's 43 goals this season, including Garrett Eldridge, Cole Thornton and Orestis Ilias who all scored three goals each.
Cole Sinclair played and started all 20 games in net for the Maroons. He ranked first in the ODAC in goals against average with a mark of 0.67, which is seventh all-time at Roanoke in single-season save percentage. In three seasons in net for Roanoke, Sinclair ranks in the top-10 all-time at the school in five different categories: goals against average (4th – 0.84), shutouts (4th – 15), wins (6th – 27), save percentage (7th- .797) and saves (9th – 153).
The men's soccer team won the ODAC Player of the Week award three times by two different players. Marc Dinkel garnered the honor twice, once on October 6th and the other on October 27th. For the first award, Dinkel helped the Maroons in their 1-0-1 week, tallying two assists and one goal in the 3-1 win over Bridgewater College. For his second weekly honor, Dinkel had a hand in all of Roanoke's three goals in the week, tallying two more assists and one goal. Christopher Fisher was named ODAC Player of the Week in the final week of the award this season. Fisher scored a pair of game-winning goals to help Roanoke gain two wins against conference competition in the week.
