By Caroline Gilmore – Marketing Manager
Photo retrieved from Lynchburg Sports
On Sunday, November 6, the University of Lynchburg Women’s Soccer team won their 17th Old Dominion Athletic Conference title after three overtimes and finally a victory in penalty kicks between the Hornets and their opponents, the Virginia Wesleyan Marlins.
Megan Dee ’23, scored the team’s first and only goal in the second half, briefly putting Lynchburg in the lead until Virginia Wesleyan tied it up in the 79th minute, leading to the penalty kick tiebreaker.
Goalkeeper Jade Lecklider ’24, played relentlessly, blocking four shots on the goal made by the Marlins.
After the game, Emily Santana ’23, received the honor of being the tournament’s most outstanding performer, with Lecklider, Haleigh Casey ’25, and Sophie Walsh ’23 joining her on the all-tournament team.
Once the tournament had concluded, seven Lynchburg Hornets received postseason awards through all-conference team honors.
Midfielder Santana, defender Casey, and goalkeeper Lecklider all received first-team honors, while forward Sydney Dombrovskis ’25 grabbed second-team honors; and forward Dee, midfielder Walsh, and defender Claire Lloyd ’25 landed spots on the third team.
Sadly, in the NCAA first round, the Hornets lost 1-0 to the No. 17 seed Montclair State despite a great effort by the team.
Lecklider made two saves in a span of four minutes, while Santana fought through a wave of defenders to take a shot in the 75th minute of the game.
The Lynchburg Hornets concluded their season with a record of 11-4-7, their 17th ODAC Championship win and their 21st NCAA appearance.
