Lynchburg, Va. -- The University of Lynchburg field hockey squad proved to be a dominating force in its home opener with a 3-0 victory against DePauw on Saturday evening.

In her debut as head coach of the Lynchburg field hockey program, Jenni Releford guided her team to victory. Today's win marks the first of many to come in the Releford era.

The Hornets (1-0) controlled possession from beginning to end, holding the ball on the offensive side for the majority of the contest. The team fired 19 total shots, 14 of which were on cage. There were 12 penalty corners awarded to Lynchburg, which set up all three of its goals in the affair.

The first tally on the board came off a penalty corner taken by Megan Stiffler in the second period. Stiffler fed in a pass to Maddie Schuchter who finished the chance, giving Lynchburg its first goal of the outing and season.

Two goals in the final 15 minutes of action gave the Hornets the 3-0 victory, including a buzzer beater from Olivia van Metre. With under 10 minutes to go, Stiffler dished in a pass off a penalty corner which was controlled by Danielle Coon, who sliced her way towards the goal and smashed it in the back of the net. Following a penalty corner from Allie Freeman, Aurora Balsamo took a shot from the top of the arc. van Metre deflected the shot past the keeper for a goal that just beat the final buzzer. 

Lynchburg's next outing will be at home once again. The field hockey team is set to host Stockton on Saturday, September 7 at 10 a.m. before hitting the road for the first time of the 2024 campaign to play Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. on Wednesday, September 11. 

Listen to Aurora Balsamo in a postgame press conference here:


 

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--LYN--

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