LEXINGTON, Va. --- Junior forward Tess Muneses (Howard County, Md./Glenelg) registered two goals to lead the 11th-ranked and top-seeded Washington and Lee field hockey team to a 3-1 victory over third-seeded Lynchburg on Saturday, claiming the 2021 ODAC Championship at the W&L Turf Field.
The Hornets (14-7) maintained possession for the first 10 minutes of the contest, but the Generals (17-0) took control of the game starting with five minutes to go in the first. Muneses possessed the ball on a counter attack at midfield, dribbling up the left sideline.
As Muneses crossed into the circle on the left side, she passed to junior forward Freddie Tobeason (New York, N.Y./Groton School) in the center. The pass forced sophomore goalkeeper Kayla Brady off her line, and Tobeason quickly one-touched the ball back to Muneses. With an open cage, Muneses tapped the ball toward the line and then followed it with another sweeping strike to give W&L a 1-0 lead with 4:05 left in the first.
The margin remained at 1-0 into the second frame, when junior forward Peyton Tysinger (Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Academy) pushed the Blue and White in front, 2-0, with her 10th tally of the season. Off a penalty corner, Tysinger inserted the ball to the top. Junior forward Kailey Fitzgerald (Chevy Chase, Md./Georgetown Visitation) struck the ball toward cage, but the ball was stopped by Brady.
Senior forward Grace Weise (Bryn Mawr, Pa./Agnes Irwin School) then pushed the ball toward the line, but a Lynchburg defender tipped it toward the left post. Tysinger moved in and fired the ball into the goal to extend the Generals' advantage to 2-0 with 12:31 left in the second.
The lead stayed at two until 1:34 left in the third. W&L was awarded a penalty stroke, and Muneses struck the ball into the goal to stretch the margin to 3-0. Lynchburg finally got on the board with 17 seconds left in the fourth, but it was too little too late, as the Generals secured the third ODAC title in program history.
Senior goalkeeper Sara Amil (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex) earned the victory, recording three saves in 60 minutes. Brady played all 60 minutes with 12 saves. First-year defender Riley Winefordner also made a defensive save for the Hornets.
The Blue and White led in shots in the contest, 25-8, and edged Lynchburg in penalty corners, 9-8. Following the game, senior forward Stella Noels (Cambridge, Mass./Middlesex School), Fitzgerald, Muneses and Amil were all named to the ODAC All-Tournament Team.
This is the first conference championship for W&L since the 2017 season. The Blue and White currently have a program-record 17-game winning streak and have won 19 straight games at home dating back to 2019.
The Generals have earned the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Championship and will find out who and where they are playing on Sunday evening when the bracket is released by the NCAA.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Emilee Wooten, Roanoke
- Alexis Wright, Roanoke
- Kelsey Jones, Shenandoah
- Mairead McKibbin, Shenandoah
- Brittany Claybaugh, Lynchburg
- Jackie Lerro, Lynchburg
- Emma Strouse, Lynchburg
- Sara Amil, Washington and Lee
- Kailey Fitzgerald, Washington and Lee
- Tess Muneses, Washington and Lee
- Stella Noels, Washington and Lee
--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University athletic communications department. ---
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