Lynchburg, Va. – The University of Lynchburg women's soccer team returns to Shellenberger Field to face Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 6:00 p.m. in a battle of top-tier contenders in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Virginia Wesleyan and Lynchburg entered the season ranked second and third, respectively, in the ODAC preseason poll. Lynchburg boasts an 8-1-1 record and has earned four consecutive victories, while the Marlins hold an 8-2-1 mark with three-straight wins.

Lynchburg owns a 12-8-10 advantage in series meetings dating back to 1999, but the Hornets fell 3-2 in last year's ODAC Semifinal matchup. While Lynchburg jumped out to a 2-0 lead, with goals from Madelyn Boyce and Haleigh Casey, the Marlins used a second-half surge to take the lead in the final two minutes.

The Hornets' lone regular-season victory against Virginia Wesleyan since 2019 arrived last year, when Lynchburg toppled the Marlins 2-0 in Virginia Beach, Va. In 2022, The Hornets toppled the Marlins in penalty kicks to clinch the ODAC title and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Lynchburg holds an unblemished 3-0 record at home this season, but Virginia Wesleyan has also maintained a perfect 3-0 record on the road. In 2024, the teams combined to produce 22 wins, though neither squad qualified for the NCAA Tournament. 

The Hornets hope to keep the offense hot on Wednesday following Morgan Oliver's ODAC Player of the Week performances last week. The junior from Powhatan, Va. posted a goal in four consecutive games, along with an eight-point outing last time out in Lynchburg's 9-0 victory over Averett.

Kate Shepherd and the Lynchburg goalkeeping staff submitted clean sheets in back-to-back games, elevating the team's total to seven on the season. The Hornets hold a 19-1 scoring advantage over opponents during their four-match win streak.

Virginia Wesleyan began ODAC play suffering a 4-0 defeat against Washington & Lee, but the Marlins regained their footing with wins over Bridgewater, Eastern Mennonite and Shenandoah. Shyenne Diaz leads the attack with seven goals and two assists for 16 points, already improving upon her 14-point season in 2024.

Diaz earned a hat trick in the Marlins' recent 4-0 victory against Shenandoah, scoring three times within an 11-minute span. Four other Marlins have tallied multiple goals on the season, and Allie Greco has started 10 of the team's 11 matches between the pipes.

Virginia Wesleyan only lost three players who started 10 or more matches in 2024, with the majority of the Marlins' attack returning for 2025. 

At 513 wins, Dr. Todd Olsen can become the ninth-winningest coach in NCAA women's soccer history with a win. Virginia Wesleyan head coach Jeff Bowers sits at 359 victories as the winningest coach in Marlins program history.

The match will be live-streamed on FloSports through the Lynchburg Hornets Sports Network.

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--LYN--