Alex Allen, Copy Editor~
This past weekend, all of Lynchburg College’s fall sports competed in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship tournament. These teams included the women’s soccer, volleyball and field hockey teams, as well as the men’s soccer team.
The volleyball team fell to Randolph-Macon College in the semifinals 3-0, but made a good run by upsetting Bridgewater College in the quarterfinals 3-1, ending their season with an overall record of 17-8.
The field hockey team made it to the championship game but fell short in overtime 2-1 to Washington & Lee University. They ended their season with an overall record of 16-4.
While these two teams fought hard and had great seasons, it was the men’s and women’s soccer teams who came out on top. On Sunday Nov. 5, both teams brought the ODAC championship title home to LC.
The men’s soccer team hosted Washington & Lee for the second straight year for the title and it resulted in the same outcome. This year, they beat Washington & Lee 2-1 to secure the 2017-18 title. Scoring for the Hornets were sophomore midfielder Jack Ashby, off of a header from senior forward Jon Mackey, and senior forward Fredy Flores, who gained this goal as a result of the goalie trying to clear the ball and Flores applying heavy defensive pressure. Junior goalkeeper Dylan McLaurin had seven saves on the defensive end for LC.
The women’s soccer team traveled to Virginia Wesleyan College to play Bridgewater for their championship game. They beat Bridgewater 1-0 in a close game that went into overtime. The winning goal for the Lady Hornets came from junior forward Catlin Mertens. Mertens goal came with only 18 seconds left in the first part of overtime. The Lady Hornets outshot Bridgewater 17-6 and junior goalkeeper Delia LoSapio only had to face one on goal shot. Senior midfielder Rachel Cooke had this to say about carrying on the winning legacy of LC women’s soccer and how it felt to win another ODAC title,
“Our team knew the power and strength the legacy of this program has. It was because of our past teams mentality of never giving up, refusing to lose, and fighting till the end that got us through the ODAC tournament. It’s awesome that we can continue to lay the groundwork for the next generation of teams. It was also amazing that we pulled out two wins on the road four hours away. It’s never easy traveling that far, much less playing in tournament games, so accomplishing all of that gives us determination and conviction going into the [NCAA] tournament.”
Both teams had several players make the ODAC all-tournament team. For the men, senior midfielder Nate Berning, freshman defender Bhayle Kearns, junior defender Austin Kues, and McLaurin all represented LC. The women added four of their own to the all-tournament team. This included sophomore midfielder Georgie Duggan, senior defender Emily Maxwell, Mertens, and junior midfielder Tate Royer.
The men’s and women’s soccer teams are now focusing in on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament. They are now waiting to find out there seeding, location and time for their next games.
