Bridgewater, Va. -- University of Lynchburg women's soccer is headed to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship for the first time since 2018. 

"We knew we could make it all the way to the championship as long as we kept working hard," Alyssa Damato said after Lynchburg's 4-0 victory over Bridgewater Friday afternoon. 

The Hornets had to work hard in the first half to even get a shot off. Maddy Myers took Lynchburg's first shot in the 29th minute. 

A few minutes after Myers' opportunity on net, Damato subbed into the match. As she subbed in, Damato was thinking to herself, "we just need to connect passes, work together as a team, and pressure hard." 

Lynchburg certainly was able to apply pressure late in the first half, taking five shots and earning two corner kicks. 

On the second corner in the 44th minute, Lynchburg broke through. Taylor Smith's corner went into the box, but Bridgewater initially turned it away. The ball drifted out to Damato and the junior forward found the back of the net for her fourth goal of the season and first-career playoff score. 

The goal, according to Damato, gave the Hornets "a lot more motivation because we put one away then we kept working for more."

Out of halftime, the Hornets used that motivation to put the match away quickly. Sydney Dombrovskis scored off an Alix Allen assist five minutes after the break. Ten minutes later, Maddy Myers found Amanda Wigboldy for Lynchburg's third goal. 

In the 66th minute, Savannah Harper scored her third goal of the season. In a matter of 16 minutes, Lynchburg turned a narrow 1-0 halftime lead into a dominant 4-0 advantage. 

After two saves in the first half, Jade Lecklider stopped four more shots, and earned her second shutout of the postseason. 

Lynchburg scored four goals in an ODAC tournament match for the first time since beating Eastern Mennonite 4-0 in 2019. 

The Hornets (15-4) look to win their 17th ODAC title on Sunday, Nov. 7. Lynchburg will Virginia Wesleyan on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 12 p.m.

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--LYN--