BRIDGEWATER, Va. – A trip to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship game will be on the line when two I-81 rivals meet up on Wednesday evening in the semifinal round of the ODAC Field Hockey tournament.
Bridgewater and Shenandoah are both in familiar situations as both teams have been to the semifinal round in each of the last three seasons. Both teams will also be looking to book a trip to the ODAC championship game for the first time in program history when the two squads meet up at 7 p.m. on the Jopson Athletic Complex turf.
During the regular season, the Eagles traveled to Winchester and needed two overtimes to get by the Hornets. Midway through overtime number two, junior Taylor Prillaman tallied her eighth goal of the year to break a 2-2 deadlock and hand the Eagles a thrilling 3-2 victory at Shentel Stadium.
Bridgewater earned an opening round bye by virtue of the squad's 7-1 record in league play during the course of the regular season. The Eagles are paced offensively by the efforts of Prillaman and senior Caroline Augsburger. Prillaman leads the squad with 14 goals on the year, while Augsburger adds 11 goals on the year. Both players lead the team with 30 points each. Prillaman currently owns 83 career points which is the third-most for a player in program history.
Between the pipes, freshman Amanda Harper has been stellar for the Eagles. Harper's nine wins during the course of the regular season are the most for a Bridgewater freshman goalie since Jennifer Brown posted 10 wins during the 1994 season. Her 1.87 GAA is the lowest single-season GAA in program history for goalies over 1,000 minutes.
Shenandoah enters Wednesday's game off of an easy victory in the quarterfinal round. The Hornets defeated Eastern Mennonite by a 3-1 score at Shentel Stadium. Ashley Cross led the way for the Hornets in the win, netting her second hat trick of the season. On the year, Cross leads the Hornets and the league with 15 goals.
In the cage, Jenna Rampale leads the Hornets and is the league leader in GAA and save percentage. Rampale's posted 12 wins and owns a 1.39 GAA and an .802 save percentage.
Bridgewater's claimed the last four games in series history with Shenandoah's last triumph coming by a 1-0 score in 2010. The Eagles have never lost to Shenandoah at home, posting a 6-0 record against the Hornets in games played on Mapp Field and at the Jopson Athletic Complex.
The winner of Wednesday evening's game will meet up in the championship game with the winner of Wednesday's 1 vs. 5 matchup putting the top-seeded Hornets of Lynchburg College against fifth-seeded Washington and Lee.
For more information on the tournament, visit the ODAC's home on the Internet at ODACOnline.com. Game times will be added to the ODAC Field Hockey Tournament website as they become available.
Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook, and follow the ODAC on Twitter at @odacathletics.
