LEXINGTON, Va. -- A four-goal first half fueled W&L's field hockey team to its fourth consecutive win, a 5-1 decision over Virginia Wesleyan.
Junior Sallie Armstrong (Houston, Texas/St. John's) put the Generals on board early when she netted an unassisted goal just 1:33 into the game. W&L (7-6, 3-1 ODAC) added to its early lead when senior Christina Merchant (Midlothian, Va./Collegiate) also netted an unassisted marker at the 3:41 mark.
First-year Christina Benedetti's (Derwood, Md./Holy Cross) goal at the 21:26 mark, following a pass from Merchant, prompted a change in goal for the Marlins (2-12, 2-3) as sophomore Kieara Mowery (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) replaced first-year Chelsea Baker (Norfolk, Va./Granby).
Sophomore Kathy Brown (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) concluded the first-half scoring when she scored unassisted at the 33:11 mark. W&L's fifth goal came at the 62:06 mark when senior Melissa Dolan (Centennial, Colo./Kent Denver) scored unassisted.
It looked as though junior keeper Caroline Habliston (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephen's & St. Agnes) would get her first shutout of the season, until VWC's Whitney King (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) slipped a ball past Habliston with just three seconds remaining on the clock. For the game, Habliston made four saves while Mowery had seven and Baker three for the Marlins.
During their four-game winning streak, the Generals have outshot their opponents 94-30, while outscoring them 14-6.
 W&L returns to action on Sunday when it host Sewanee at 1:00 pm.
-- www.generalssports.com --
Scoring Summary:
W&L - Sallie Armstrong (unassisted): 1:33
W&L - Christina Merchant (unassisted): 3:41
W&L - Christina Benedetti (Merchant): 21:26
W&L - Kathy Brown (unassisted): 33:11
W&L - Melissa Dolan (unassisted): 62:06
VWC - Whitney King (unassisted): 69:57
Goalkeepers:
Caroline Habliston (W&L): 70:00, 4 saves, 1 GA
Chelsea Baker (VWC): 15:00, 3 saves, 3 GA
Kieara Mowery (VWC): 52:06, 7 saves, 2 GA
Team Stats:
W&L - 23 shots, 5 penalty corners, 4 saves
VWC - 9 shots, 5 penalty corner, 10 saves
