
For immediate release - 11/8/2008 - #111
Hornet Women's Soccer Captures Second-Straight ODAC Title
LC Rallies for 3-2 Win at Virginia Wesleyan - Ashley Hoath has Hat Trick
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - Trailing 2-0 in the second half of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) title game Saturday evening at Virginia Wesleyan College, junior Ashley Hoath (Alexandria, VA/Mount Vernon) scored three times as the second-seeded Lynchburg College women's soccer team rallied for an improbable 3-2 victory to capture the program's second-straight conference crown.
The top-seeded Marlins drew first blood 31 seconds before intermission, as Stacy Zeiler netted a 40-yard shot on a free kick and VWC took the 1-0 into halftime. Jerilyn Sweeney scored an unassisted tally at the 52:11 mark of the second half, which looked like a backbreaking goal as the Marlin defense had allowed just six goals in 18 matches this season.
The Hornet rally began at the 67:11 mark, as Hoath drilled a penalty kick to bring the deficit back to one. With less than nine minutes left on the game clock, the Hornets again pressured the Marlin defense. Hoath had a shot blocked, but corralled the rebound and found the back of the net to tie the game at two with 8:47 remaining. She scored again with just 2:27 left, as her free kick was muffed by the VWC keeper - Hoath's third tally in just over 20 minutes of play and her 18th of the season.
The Hornets (19-0-3) out-shot the Marlins 17-10 and each team was awarded four corner kicks. The win gives LC its eighth ODAC title in program history and the fourth in the last five seasons. The Hornets' earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament, hoping to repeat their success last fall, winning three NCAA games and advancing into the Elite Eight. Complete brackets and host sites are scheduled to be released Monday morning.
Virginia Wesleyan falls to 14-2-3 on the season, and awaits a possible at large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
LC All-Tournament Performers:
Beverly Hoath
Betsy Kwiatkowski
Katelyn LeRiche
Ashley Hoath