LEXINGTON, Va. - Prior to the start of the 2009 women's soccer season, the Bridgewater Eagles coined the slogan "Witness the Rising."

It's been a long steady climb to the top of the conference standings and Sunday afternoon that climb reached its pinnacle as the Eagles claimed the first ODAC Championship in program history, outlasting Washington and Lee on penalty kicks. The teams battled to a scoreless draw during 110 minutes of play and then Bridgewater won the Shootout by a 4-2 margin.

In the final game of the regular season, in a battle of undefeated teams, W&L edged the Eagles 2-1 to earn the No.1 seed for the ODAC tournament.

Sunday's championship was a classic battle as each team had opportunities throughout the match. 

One of the key plays in regulation came in the 60th minute when the Generals were awarded a penalty kick. Bridgewater keeper Sydney Davis made the save on Cameron Grainger's attempt to keep the contest tied at 0-0.

In the shootout, Emily York was first up for the Eagles and made her attempt. W&L's Grace Wielechowski countered with her shot to tie the shootout at 1-1. Hanna Randolph put her shot into the net and when the Generals' Grainger missed wide, the Eagles grabbed the advantage with a 2-1 lead. BC's Skyler Daum and W&L's Sydney von Rosenburg both were successful with their attempts, leaving the Eagles with a 3-2 advantage. Lindsey Winkels made it four straight for the Eagles and put W&L in a must-make situation. Louisa Bynum then missed just wide, clinching the title for the Eagles.

A look at the statistics showed the closeness of Sunday's contest. The Eagles held a narrow 20-18 edge in total shots. The Generals held a slim edge in both shots on goal (6-5) and corner kicks (6-4).

Both keepers, Bridgewater's Davis and W&L's Grace Coombs, finished with five saves.

Bridgewater's Davis, Randolph, Maren Dougherty and York were named to the ODAC All-Tournament Team.

The Eagles finish their championship season with a record of 10-1-1.