Lynchburg, Va. -- The Lynchburg Hornets begin conference play on the road, facing off against the Sweet Briar Vixens on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

The winner of this year's matchup will receive the inaugural Beard Cup. The trophy gets its name from The Beard Center on Aging. The hardware celebrates the longstanding tradition between the two programs, playing their first matchup over a century ago in 1920. The Hornets have won the previous 28 games against Sweet Briar, dating back to 1981.

The Lynchburg Hornets (7-3) come into this contest with a loss in their most recent matchup on the road against No. 20 Rowan, 4-3 in overtime, snapping a four-game win streak.

Jenni Relaford's offensive attack has become one of the most explosive in the conference through the opening 10 matches, maintaining an average of 3.5 goals per game. Three Hornets sit in the top five in the ODAC for goals this year: Anna Dorrestijn (8), Saar Prins (6), and Danielle Coon (5).

The Sweet Briar Vixens (2-5) enter this affair after falling in their previous matchup to No. 15 Shenandoah, 5-0. The Vixens have lost four games this season by four or more goals, leading to a -11 goal differential this season thus far.

Junior forward Emmi Burdine has been the focal point of the Vixens' offense this season with four goals, the only Vixen with multiple scores this year. Sweet Briar has rotated between two goalies this season, but Reiyn Hart has been the primary keeper for the Vixens with 41 saves and a save percentage of 0.774.

Following this game, Lynchburg will remain on the road, traveling to Winchester to take on No. 15 Shenandoah on Saturday, Oct. 11.

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--LYN--