Lynchburg, Va. – The University of Lynchburg women's soccer team suffered a 4-1 defeat against ODAC foe Bridgewater in Saturday's Senior Day game at Shellenberger Field.

Both teams fired 12 shots, though Bridgewater gathered eight corner kicks to Lynchburg's five. Despite the four goals allowed, Hornets keeper Kate Shepherd made seven saves, marking her sixth consecutive game with four or more saves.

The Eagles opened the scoring in the third minute when forward Laura Narby netted a cross from Kendall Garza. The bouncing pass split defenders, and Garza lifted the shot above Shepherd's gloves to earn the lead.

Five minutes later, senior forward Madelyn Boyce found the equalizer for Lynchburg. Morgan Oliver lofted a pass across the box and past the keeper's reach, and Boyce emerged from the goal-line scrum to muscle the ball into the goal. The Hornets' goal marked Boyce's second of the season.

The back-and-forth scoring continued in the 20th minute when Bridgewater regained the lead. Brianna Curro found isolation on the wing and lasered a low-rolling cross into the middle of the box, and Garza sprinted forward to secure the second goal.

Following the halftime break, Lynchburg fired a pair of shots before Bridgewater opened a furious scoring run to elevate the lead.

Lyric Birkley capitalized on a defensive miscue in the 53rd minute with a shot from far beyond the 18-yard box. Lynchburg's back line relinquished possession in the defensive third, and mere footsteps later, Birkley tucked her shot in the top left corner for the goal.

Two minutes later, Garza tucked away her second goal of the night following a looping pass from Curro. Bridgewater maintained the 4-1 lead through the final whistle, while Lynchburg's Old Dominion Athletic Conference record fell to 4-4-1.

Lynchburg occupies seventh place in the ODAC standings heading into the team's final conference match against Hollins on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 3:00 p.m. In the meantime, the Hornets will face Mary Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 6:00 p.m. at Shellenberger Field for Lynchburg's final home game of the season.

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