LYNCHBURG, VA – Junior Jacob Luszcek (Fredericksburg, VA/Chancellor) notched a tally early in the second half and the Randolph College defense made the lead stand up as the WildCats grabbed an Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament berth with a 2-1 league win over Randolph-Macon College Tuesday.

                The WildCats (8-5-3/6-3-2 ODAC), though unofficial, look to have clinched the No. 5 seed in the ODAC Tournament, which starts Saturday. Randolph's likely opponent will be No. 4 seed Guilford College, who will host the WildCats in Greensboro, NC. Brackets and official seeds and pairings will come out Wednesday evening followed the Bridgewater College-Shenandoah University matchup.

                Randolph did its part Tuesday of assuring itself another ODAC postseason appearance, its fifth in five years in the conference. The WildCats jumped out early on the Yellow Jackets (2-12-3/2-8-1 ODAC), as junior Will Wolf (Goldsboro, NC/Cardinal Gibbons) headed in a cross from Lusczek for an early 1-0 lead.

                The host WildCats continued to pin the Yellow Jackets in, and had multiple chances but couldn't convert. Randolph-Macon would pull even in the 34^th minute on a counter attack, as a breakaway ended up with a foul on goalkeeper Carter Smith (Greensboro, NC/Grimsley) and a penalty kick for R-MC. Brock Barbeau stepped up and nailed the spot kick to deadlock the contest at one.

                Possession continued to be swayed in the direction of the hosts, but Randolph couldn't score on any of their four corners in the first half. After the halftime break, the WildCats continued to press, as a great chance for junior Corey Sindle (Gloucester, VA/Gloucester) was saved by Yellow Jacket net minder Chris Lowe.

                In the 54^th minute, Lowe made a sparkling jumping save on a Lusczek shot to keep things tied. Randolph would get the game-winner four minutes later though, as the junior forward took a pass from Sindle, dribbled in, and beat Lowe for the game-winner. Lusczek celebrated by being "knighted" in the corner by teammate Jacob Hood (New Market, MD/Linganore).

                "It was a big win for our team to get a little momentum before the tournament," said Lusczek. "We scored a couple of nice goals that will give us more confidence on offense heading into the weekend." Lusczek notched his first game with a goal and an assist this season, and is now second on the team with nine points.

                  Randolph outshot its opponents 20-5 on the evening, while earning a whopping 11 corner kicks on the night. Smith finished with two saves in net for the 'Cats to earn the win, while Lowe played 58:09 in net for R-MC, stopping five shots. The game was filled with fouls, as the teams combined for 35 whistles and five yellow cards.

                The WildCats will play one more non-conference game before the ODAC Tournament starts Saturday, as Southern Virginia University comes to WildCat Stadium Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. for Senior Night. Randolph will honor its three seniors, Sam McGarrity (Richmond, VA/James River), Nicholas DiLodovico (Cobb Island, MD/Laplata) and Ryan Woloshin (Yorktown, VA/Grafton) before the match.

--RANDOLPH--