DALLAS, Pa. --- University of Lynchburg women's soccer made its 20th appearance in the NCAA tournament Saturday afternoon. The Hornets fell 3-2 to the Middlebury Panthers after almost completing an exciting comeback. 

The skies were grey at Misericordia University, but the rain stopped in time for kickoff at Mangelsdorf Field. The sun came out shortly after the match began, but not before Lynchburg faced early pressure from the Panthers. 

Four minutes into the match, Haleigh Casey cleared a ball from in front of the net. Jade Lecklider made a save two minutes later after a Lynchburg turnover.

At the 13:32 mark, Middlebury broke through and secured an early go-ahead score.

The Panthers maintained possession after their first goal. In the 20th minute Haleigh Casey blocked a shot to preserve the 1-0 deficit. 

With 23:29 left in the opening half, the Panthers setup for a corner that eventually led to their second goal. 

Shortly after Middlebury's score, Meghan Lauder drew a foul across midfield. Alix Allen lined up for the ensuing free kick. Both teams battled for the ball and Lynchburg earned it's first corner of the match, but the Hornets could not muster up a shot off of Taylor Smith's pass.

With 16:09 left in the first half, Smith lined up for another corner, but Middlebury's goalie snatched the ball out of the air before any Hornet could connect with it.

Lynchburg continued to apply pressure and got deep into Middlebury territory several times. Sydney Dombrovskis played with high energy throughout the first half, chasing down balls in the attacking third and applied pressure even without taking a shot.

McKenna Dahm took Lynchburg's first shot 42 minutes into play, but her shot was saved and the Hornets went into halftime trailing 2-0.

Out of the break, Lynchburg owned possession. 

Allen took Lynchburg's first shot of the second half in the 56th minute. Amanda Wigboldy and Taylor Smith followed suit with shots shortly thereafter.

However, Middlebury responded to Lynchburg's scoring opportunities with a flurry of shots. Beginning in the 66th minute, the Panthers took four shots. Two shots hit the post, one went wide, and Lecklider made a sprawling, kick save on the fourth. 

Emily Santana rewarded the Hornet defense for their important stand. In the 71st minute, Santana settled a free kick from Allen, turned, and dribbled to her left and buried a goal. About eight minutes later, Dombrovskis sent a cross in from the near sideline. The ball took an odd hop off a Middlebury defender and Santana transformed it into a magnificent upper-90 score. 

Euphoria. 

However, the match did not stay tied for long as Middlebury scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 87th minute.

Laura Mason subbed into the match and served in several dangerous free kicks, but the Hornets could not muscle up another comeback. Middlebury outlasted Lynchburg for a 3-2 victory.

The Hornets made the Tournament for the first time since 2018 and finished with a 15-6 record. Even after the loss, the Hornets own a .615 winning percentage in the Big Dance and are the only Old Dominion Athletic Conference school with a winning record in such matches. 

Taylor Smith was the only Hornet on the field to previously appear in an NCAA Tournament match. However, five freshmen saw action with three earning a start. 

Lynchburg's season ended on a heartbreaking loss. However, the Hornets are on the right track after sporting a ten-match winning streak during the season, being ranked 22nd in the nation, and continuing a tradition of soccer-excellence in Lynchburg.