Lynchburg, Va. -- University of Lynchburg field hockey senior forward Aaryn Boatwright scored a pair of goals to lead the way in a 6-1 victory over Keystone College on Shellenberger Field in the first round of the NCAA tournament Wednesday afternoon.

The senior scored her 10th and 11th goals of the year with the first serving as the game winner in the 11th-ranked Hornets' 20th win of the season.

This is the fourth time since head coach Enza Steele took over in 1979 that Lynchburg has won 20 games in a season outnumbering a total of just three losing seasons over that span.

Marlou Wendriks put the Hornets on top in a game in which it would never trail converting on an assist from Olivia van Metre in the 6th minute before lending a helping hand to Boatwright two minutes later as Lynchburg jumped out to a 2-0 advantage after 15 minutes.

Lynchburg put a third goal on the board before Keystone found the back of the cage for the first time, as Renee Van Thiel was the last Hornet to touch a shot which bounced off the sticks of several Giants defenders on its way to the back of the cage.

Belen Rodriguez helped Keystone avoid the shutout with a goal in the 22nd minute, cutting the deficit to two, but Saar Prins pushed the lead back to three with 27 seconds remaining in the first half, scoring on a penalty stroke opportunity and sending Lynchburg to the break with a 4-1 lead and  10-4 shot advantage.

Prins was brought into the game specifically to take the penalty stroke, improving to two-for-two on such attempts on the season, lifting a shot over the head of Keystone goalkeeper Casey Stratton and into the top netting of the cage.

Lynchburg dominated possession in the second half to the tune of a 15-5 shot advantage and scored twice more with goals from Boatwright in the third quarter off an assist from Khanyisile Mzizi and a fourth quarter strike from Brooke Hyland off a Kessa Shaffer assist to push the score to its final 6-1.

Hornets Goalkeeper Kayla Brady responded to allowing the first second quarter goal scored against Lynchburg this season by rattling off three straight saves to close the game.

The two teams combined for seven penalty cards throughout the game with five in the second half, including the first two yellow cards called against Lynchburg this season.

Steele secured her Division III record 665th career victory in her final game coached on Shellenberger Field, as the team will travel to Newport News, Va. for the second round, concluding the 2023 campaign with a 10-1 mark at home.

Lynchburg (20-2, 9-0 ODAC) will face No. 9 York in the second round of the NCAA tournament, which will be played on the campus of Christopher Newport University on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. CNU is the top seed in Lynchburg's portion of the bracket.

Lynchburg faced York earlier this season defeating the Spartans 2-0 in a ranked battle played at Sweet Briar College.

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--LYN--