ASHLAND, Va. – The 22nd-ranked and second-seeded Washington and Lee women's soccer team was defeated, 1-0, by Virginia Wesleyan in the ODAC Semifinals on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Generals fall to 16-2-2 overall with the loss, while the win propels the Marlins to 13-3-3 overall.
 
The game's lone goal came in the 26th minute when senior forward Marli Hayward scored on a penalty kick.
 
W&L had two strong chances to equalize late in the second half, the first coming in the 82nd minute when sophomore forward Madeleine Becker (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) got a shot off inside the box. Virginia Wesleyan first-year keeper Amruta Karkare stopped the shot, however, with a diving save at the near post.
 
In the 90th minute, first-year forward Lindsay White (Greenville, S.C./JL Mann) found room inside the box for a shot from about 12 yards, but Karkare was there for the save again.
 
White led the W&L offense with three shots and put two attempts on goal. First-year forward Sophia Roche' (Ashburn, Va./Broad Run) came in next with two shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Grace Coombs (Boca Raton, Fla./Saint Andrews School) (13-2-2) played the first 69:24 and made four saves, before sophomore Jasmine Furin (Charlottesville, Va./St. Anne's-Belfield School) covered the final 20:36 in net.
 
Hayward's goal came on one of her two shots in the contest. Junior midfielder Mary Alexis Jackson led the offense with three shots, while sophomore midfielder Kennedi Anders attempted two shots. Karkare played all 90 minutes in goal for the Marlins and made three saves.
 
Shots were even on the day, as both teams took 10 attempts, with the Marlins putting five on target to three for the Generals. W&L earned six corner kicks and limited Virginia Wesleyan to two.
 
The Generals will now wait to see if they receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Division III Women's Soccer Selection Show is scheduled for Monday at 1:00 pm at www.ncaa.com.