GREENSBORO, N.C. – Freshman Chris Ashcraft (Mt. Airy, Md./South Carroll) scored with 3:05 left to give Guilford College a 10-9 men's lacrosse victory over Virginia Wesleyan College Saturday in the Armfield Athletic Center. The win ended Guilford's 17-game Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) losing streak that dated to a 9-8 win over Virginia Wesleyan in 2005.

Guilford freshman Ryan Walsh (Abington, Mass./Abington) made a career-high 17 saves in goal, including five in the decisive fourth quarter. He had three stops in the final two minutes, including one on Kyle Wright (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads) just before the final horn.

Virginia Wesleyan (3-9, 0-3 ODAC) reeled off five unanswered goals late in the second quarter to take a 7-4 halftime lead. Guilford (3-6, 1-2 ODAC) outscored the Marlins, 3-1, in the third quarter behind two goals by David Heltzel (Manassas, Va./Osbourn Park).

The Quakers' Matt Meriwether (Richmond, Va./Tandem Friends) opened the fourth-quarter scoring with an unassisted goal 1:53 into the period to tie the game at 8-8. Curran Lee (Calgary, Alberta/Delta West) scored off a Drew Langis (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) feed 62 seconds later to give the Marlins a 9-8 edge.

Virginia Wesleyan had a great chance to go up 10-8 with just under five minutes left when Damian Becker (Lynbrook, N.Y./Lynbrook) got the ball and was all alone in front of Walsh. The Quakers' goalie made a point-blank save, starting a transition that resulted in Daniel Dowd's (Friendship, Md./Southern) game-tying goal with 4:16 remaining. Guilford's Greg Nash (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) won the ensuing face-off and Ashcraft netted the game-winning goal off the possession.

Ashcraft led the Quakers with three goals, two in the second half. Dowd and Heltzel both scored twice and Matt Halip (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Brother Rice) added a goal plus two assists. Walsh, Dowd and Andrew Heimsath (Austin, Texas/St. Andrew's Episcopal) all picked up five ground balls and Gates Benson (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill) caused three turnovers.

Langis paced the Marlins with three goals and an assist. Lee scored twice and Becker finished with a goal and an assist. Eric Anderson (Pasadena, Md./Northeast) won 12-of-19 face-offs and scooped up a game-best 10 ground balls. Goalie John-Paul Novak (Centreville, Va./Westfield) made six saves in goal, five in the first half.

Guilford hosts nationally ranked Roanoke College Wednesday (4/8) at 3:30 p.m. The Marlins visit Wesley College Wednesday in a 4:00 p.m. nonconference game.

2009-04-04