Lynchburg, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg field hockey team won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship over Shenandoah University 2-1 on Saturday afternoon with goals from Ryleigh Cameron and Riley Winefordner.

It would be a storybook ending for legendary head coach Enza Steele's 45th and final season to culminate with a 22nd ODAC championship. However, the Hornets earned the ODAC's automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament and their historic season carries on. The Hornets are 19-2, and Lynchburg will learn its next postseason matchup at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4 when the NCAA reveals the Division III bracket. 

Steele utilizes two key sayings which were each in full effect Saturday afternoon as her 45th team defeated No. 16 Shenandoah. The first is the simple, "again."

Lynchburg accomplished that, securing its league-record 22nd ODAC Championship in its 34th all-time appearance in 40 chances.

"My favorite saying to [the team] is again," said the legendary coach who is the winningest field hockey coach in Division III history. "We're going to do it again and again and we're going to do it until we get it right. If you're doing math homework and you do it wrong, do you stop? You have to do it again until you get it right and that's the way I approached coaching."

The second phrase, which Steele repeated from underneath the victory bell while celebrating the win with her team Saturday, is, "refuse to lose."

Lynchburg did that as well, never trailing in the game and denying a Shenandoah comeback bid in the final 10 minutes of the game.

The 11th-ranked Hornets picked up the win on the backs of a pair of unlikely offensive heroes as defenders Cameron and Winefordner scored their third goals each on the season to propel Lynchburg to its fourth ranked win of the season and its seventh-consecutive victory overall.

Cameron opened the scoring in the first quarter taking an insert from Aaryn Boatwright on one of 14 Lynchburg penalty corners of the day. Cameron drilled a shot into the back of the cage from distance to put Lynchburg up with 40 seconds remaining in the period.

As the typical first recipient of penalty corners, Cameron often looks to feed one of her teammates but credited associate head coach Jenni Releford in drawing up the play that instead had the senior fake a pass to her left before stepping to her right and firing her 17th and most-important shot of the season.

The all-conference defender went on to make a profound impact on the defensive side as well, aiding in a defensive effort that held a Shenandoah team which entered the day averaging over 20 shots per game to just four while also breaking up several fast break opportunities for the visitors.

Lynchburg took its slight advantage into halftime holding advantages of 13-2 in shots and 9-2 in penalty corners.

Shenandoah goalkeeper Taylor Swann rose to the occasion aside from the first quarter goal, saving four of the five shots she faced in the first half in route to saving eight of 10 on the afternoon to keep her team within striking distance throughout.

Winefordner picked up her third game-winning goal on as many total scores in the game's 34th minute to double the Lynchburg advantage.

The junior defender corralled the rebound on a shot from Khanyisile Mzizi that glanced off the far post pushing the ball into the cage from just outside that same far post.

Lynchburg did not score again but continued to apply pressure to the effect of an 8-1 shot disparity in the third frame.

Shenandoah shouldered that burden across the game's final 10 minutes as Cassidy Morrison put the Hornets on the board in the 51st minute, and Swann made a pair of saves to keep Lynchburg off the board.

The energy seemed to shift in the immediate aftermath of Shenandoah's score as Lynchburg was whistled for four-consecutive fouls. Shenandoah generated a penalty corner in the 54th minute, but the visitors were unable to find the equalizer, failing to attempt a shot down the stretch.

The win propelled Lynchburg to its 19th victory of the season marking just the sixth time in program history that the Hornets have reached that benchmark. The win also marked just the second time in program history and the first since 2001 that Lynchburg has completed a perfect regular season in conference play and won the conference tournament in a nine-game league slate.

Lynchburg (19-2, 9-0) won its fourth ODAC championship in the past six seasons and first since the spring of 2021. The Hornets secured the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they will make their 23rd all-time appearance.

Visit Lynchburg athletics' home online, LynchburgSports.com, anytime for up-to-the-minute news on all Hornets sports and coverage from the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

Sign up here to receive Lynchburg Sports news in your email inbox. 

Give Lynchburg Sports a like on Facebook, and follow Lynchburg athletics on Instagram and X.

--LYN--