College Men’s Soccer Final – Guilford 2, Va. Wesleyan 1

GREENSBORO, N.C. –Marko Mandalinic’s save on Isaac Arrington with four seconds left in regulation preserved Guilford College’s 2-1 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) soccer victory over visiting Virginia Wesleyan College Saturday night.

Arrington, the reigning ODAC Men’s Soccer Player of the Week, scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season in the 78th minute to cut the Marlins’ deficit to 2-1. With less than 10 seconds in regulation, Virginia Wesleyan’s Josh Kemp played an excellent ball from near midfield that Arrington ran on to just beyond the 18-yard line. With s step on his defender, he angled a right-footed blast from about 17 yards out, but Mandalinic was right there to catch it and time expired.

Guilford (4-6, 3-1 ODAC) grabbed a 1-0 lead on Christian Torres’ (Greensboro, N.C./Southeast Guilford) second goal in as many matches 2:33 before halftime. Omar Solis made a nice play on the wing to get past his defender and cross a pass towards goal where a streaking Torres touched it past Marlins’ keeper Connor Kirkham for the game’s first goal.

Virginia Wesleyan (5-3-1, 2-1 ODAC), ranked ninth in this week’s National Socccer Coaches’ Association Division III South Atlantic Poll, controlled play early in the second half, but the Quakers stood tall. Guilford doubled its lead when Colin Dillon played a pass from near the corner for Jake Elsey, who headed it to a wide-open Jonny Goffredi for the sophomore’s third goal of the year in the 69th minute.
The Marlins outshot Guilford, 12-6, and had five of the game’s eight corner kicks. Kirkham made two saves for Virginia Wesleyan.

Coach Jeff Bateson’s Quakers host Averett University Wednesday (10/1) at 7:00 p.m. in a nonconference game.