Lynchburg to Face Trinity in Round of 16

ATLANTA, Ga. --- Lynchburg College senior Shawn Bender (Virginia Beach, VA/Bayside) scored in the 81^st minute as the Lynchburg men's soccer team defeated Emory University on Sunday night 2-1 in the second round of the Division III NCAA Tournament.

On a rainy night, the Hornets had to fight from behind to advance. Emory's Nick Jones scored in the 51^st minute to give the Eagles a 1-0 advantage coming out of halftime. The Eagles however would relinquish the lead nine minutes later when senior Matthew Rowe (Manassas, VA/Osbourn) netted the tying mark off a deflection to hit the right corner of the goal.

The game would remain tight for the following 21 minutes until Lynchburg was awarded a corner kick with nine minutes to play in the contest. Junior Shane Spanninger (Horsham, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) crossed it into the middle where Bender headed it in to give the Hornets the go-ahead goal. It was Bender's fifth goal of the season and his second in the NCAA Tournament, after scoring a goal in the LC win over Transylvania University on Thursday.

Freshman Michael Releford (Blacksburg, VA/Blacksburg) made seven saves on the evening including a tremendous stop in the 86^th minute. Eagles defender Andrew Natalino took a open shot on goal only to have Releford dive and get his hand on the ball, preventing Emory from tying the game with less than  four minutes to play. Emory goalie Trenton Spindler made five saves for the Eagles.

Lynchburg (17-4-1) will now face Trinity (TX) in the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament at a site to be determined. Further details can be found on http://www.lynchburg.edu/athletics when they are available.  

The full bracket of the Division-III NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament can be accessed HERE.

This release is courtesy of the Lynchburg College sports information department.