LEXINGTON, Va. --- The top-seeded Washington and Lee field hockey team scored three goals in a span of 10:44 during the second half to produce a 3-2 victory over fourth-seeded Shenandoah in the semifinals of the ODAC Tournament on Friday evening at the W&L Turf Field.
Shenandoah (11-7) grabbed a 1-0 lead at the 28:54 mark of the first half when first-year forward Kayla Alderman (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) took a ball played off a defender and slipped it past W&L first-year goalkeeper Ariyel Yavalar (Baltimore, Md. / Garrison Forest School).
The Hornets held W&L to just two shots in the first half and maintained the 1-0 lead at the break.
The Generals (11-6) knotted the game at 1-1 in the 50th-minute, when first-year forward Haley Tucker (Manakin-Sabot, Va. / St. Catherine's School) produced a long run from the midfield and sent a shot past Shenandoah junior goaltender Jessica Brown (Yorktown, Va./Graton) at the 49:55 mark.
Tucker struck again just 8:11 later, gathering the ball in front of goal and knocking it past Brown for a 2-1 advantage at 58:06. Junior forward Maggie Waxter (Baltimore, Md. / Roland Park Country School) made it 3-1 at the 60:39 mark when she gathered a rebound off a penalty corner and beat Brown for her 16th goal of the season, tied for the fourth-most in program history.
The Hornets found an immediate response when senior midfielder Presha Merritt (Stafford, Va./Brooke Point) scored off a penalty corner assisted by senior defender Sarah Brock (Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) at 62:37, but the Generals' defense would hold for the final seven minutes and change, as W&L avenged its only regular-season league loss.
Shenandoah rode the strong first-half effort to a 14-11 advantage in shots, while each team took three penalty corners. Brown played all 70 minutes in goal for SU, notching four saves. Yavalar also played the duration in goal for W&L, producing four saves as well.
Washington and Lee advances to Saturday's ODAC Championship game, where it will face the winner of a matchup between second-seeded Lynchburg and third-seeded Bridgewater. The championship tilt begins at 5:00 pm at the W&L Turf Field.
--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University sports information department. ---
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