Coming into Saturday's ODAC opener at Virginia Wesleyan, senior Abby Diffenbach (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) needed five saves to top Joy Shaiebly's school record of 377 career saves. Diffenbach got the five and more, racking up a season-high 14 stops to claim the record. The Marlins won the game, however, beating Eastern Mennonite 3-1.

Diffenbach got her record-breaking save in the 20th minute against the high-powered VWC offense. But the Marlins beat her a minute later for the game's first score. In the 40th minute, Virginia Wesleyan knocked in another goal to take a 2-0 edge into halftime.

The Lady Royals sliced the lead in half 11 minutes into the second stanza. The Marlins were called for a foul in the box and Melissa Miller (Bradenton, Fl./Lakewood Ranch/Samford) drove home the resulting penalty kick to make it 2-1.

But Virginia Wesleyan pushed right back and scored less than two minutes later, knocking in a shot after a corner kick to produce the final margin of 3-1.

EMU was outshot 17-5 in shots on goal. Miller had three of the women's shots. Chaska Yoder (Plain City, Oh./Jonathan Alder) and Jordan Barkus (Millersburg, Pa./Millersburg) had the others. The Marlins also had an 8-2 edge in corner kicks.

Diffenbach's 14-save effort was her fourth double-digit-save game of the 2010 season. The four-year starter also has a chance of breaking the career marks for games, minutes, shutouts and wins this year.

The loss drops Eastern Mennonite to 1-4-1. The women stay in the ODAC next week, hosting Randolph-Macon on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Game time is 4:00pm.