Lynchburg, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg field hockey squad had sophomore Anna Dorrestijn score twice en rout to a hard-fought 4-3 victory against Rowan on Saturday afternoon at Shellenberger Field.

The Hornets (7-2) stood strong on the defensive half for the first 10 minutes, fighting off a barrage of Rowan attacks. At the 9:58-mark, sophomore Allie Freeman fired the rock to junior Aurora Balsamo off a penalty corner and Balsamo struck it past the keeper for the game's first score. With 1:39 left in the first quarter, Dorrestijn bagged her first goal of the affair to extend the Hornets lead to two. 

The Profs clawed their way back to even the score by scoring consecutive goals in the last five minutes of the first half. Olivia Griffin nabbed the first and Sidney Pavlishin got the equalizer. The sides went into the halftime intermission all even at 2-2.

Head coach Jenni Releford and her staff got the Hornets fired up at halftime. Coming out of the break, Lynchburg showed its offensive prowess by firing off three shots on goal in the first 2:17 of the frame. 2:02 into the second half, Dorrestijn led the charge by finding the ball in a scrum in front of the goal and putting it past the keeper. Just 15 seconds later, freshman Grace Peterson got a rebound in front of the goal and netted her third goal in the last two games. Exactly five minutes later, Rowan inched closer as Gracie Merrick got one back for the Profs. Lynchburg was able to hold off the rest of the remaining attacks from Rowan and secure the victory.

Although the Profs had the advantage on shots by a margin of 12-9, the dangerous strikes on frame were fairly even. Lynchburg finished with seven shots on goal while Rowan had eight. 

Junior Samira Gharavi made her second straight start between the pipes for the Hornets, making a career-high five stops that were consequential to the Lynchburg triumph. Netminder Delfina Vanelli made three saves throughout the contest for Rowan. 

Next up on the slate for Lynchburg is ODAC rival Randolph-Macon. The Hornets travel to Ashland, Va. for the outing on Saturday, October 12 at noon.

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