BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Second-seeded Bridgewater College will travel to top-seeded Lynchburg College on Saturday looking to end the Hornets' long-reign atop the conference as the Eagles field hockey team makes its first trip to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship game on Saturday afternoon.
During the regular season, the Eagles had the Hornets and their 40 game regular-season winning streak on the ropes in a contest at Lynchburg. Bridgewater led the Hornets by a 3-2 score with less than five minutes to play in the contest before Courtney Gilette forced overtime and netted the overtime game-winner to keep the Hornets unbeaten with a 4-3 victory.
Bridgewater earned a trip to the ODAC Championship game by virtue of its 2-1 win over Shenandoah, while Lynchburg had a much easier time dispatching Washington and Lee in the semifinals as the Hornets rolled to a 5-1 win. Lynchburg finished the regular season with an unbeaten conference mark and the Hornets will play in their 11th straight ODAC championship game when action opens up at Shellenberger Field.
The Eagles are paced offensively by the efforts of junior Taylor Prillaman and senior Caroline Augsburger. Prillaman leads the squad with 15 goals on the year, while Augsburger adds 11 goals on the season. Prillaman's 15 goals matches her career-best for a single season with both marks being the most for a Bridgewater player since Holly Ware's 16-goal effort in 1999. Prillaman leads the team with 34 points which is the highest total for a Bridgewater player since Ware's 35-point effort in 1999.
Between the pipes, freshman Amanda Harper has been stellar for the Eagles. Harper's 10 wins during the course of the regular season are tied for the most for a Bridgewater freshman goalie in program history. Her 1.81 GAA is the lowest single-season GAA in program history for goalies over 500 minutes.
Lynchburg is led offensively by the play of Kelsey Link. Link leads the Hornets with 14 goals and 33 points. Freshman Lacey Elliott's chipped in a team-high seven assists on the year.
In the cage, the Hornets are led by the efforts of Beka Hess. Hess owns a 1.73 GAA and has turned away 103 shots on the year.
Lynchburg has controlled the series with Bridgewater, reigning supreme in each of the last 17 games. Bridgewater's last win over the Hornets came by a 3-2 score in 1997. Lynchburg has also claimed the last eight ODAC championships and owns a 56-game ODAC winning streak.
The winner of Saturday' game will earn the conference's automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships.
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.
