Lynchburg Chase 24th ODAC Title in 2022 Final Rematch Against Washington & Lee
Ten straight finals, and a shot at a 24th title. Lynchburg are back where they always seem to be, and this time Washington & Lee are the ones standing in the way.
The ODAC final is Saturday at 1 p.m. ET (11 p.m. PKT) at Shellenberger Field in Lynchburg, and it’s a rematch of the 2022 final. W&L won that one 1-0 in overtime, their second straight title at the time. They haven’t been back to the final since. Now they’re chasing a fifth crown, and Lynchburg are chasing their 24th.
Lynchburg got here the hard way. They were 2-1 down to Shenandoah at half-time in Thursday’s semi and had to rally to win 3-2. It was the kind of win that tells you plenty about a side. Top seeds, 14-5, unbeaten in the league at 8-0, and still needing a comeback to reach a tenth straight final.
W&L’s route was cleaner, if not simpler. They went behind to Randolph-Macon in the first quarter, Caitlin Porter finishing off a McKayla Clark penalty corner at 10:37, then scored three unanswered second-quarter goals to win 3-1. The Generals outshot Randolph-Macon 13-3, and the game was done by half-time.
These two only met ten days ago, and it was a classic. Lynchburg won 3-2 in overtime on 28 October, with Taylor Secrist scoring twice, Zoe Dolfis equalising for W&L with 20 seconds left, and Khanyisile Mzizi winning it with a golden goal in the 68th minute. If Saturday is anything like that, nobody will be leaving early.
The winner takes the ODAC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament. Lynchburg have been here ten years running. W&L know how to beat them in a final. Something has to give.
