ASHLAND, Va. – A four-goal run in the second half helped Randolph-Macon secure an important conference win against the surging Lynchburg Hornets in a Wednesday evening matchup in Ashland. Senior Lexi Jones (Chestertown, Md. / Kent County), junior Mary Castle (Annapolis, Md. / Annapolis) and sophomores Kaylyn Hewes (Linthicum, Md. / North County) and Bella Samper (Spring, Texas / Klein Oak) all had a hand in pushing the Yellow Jackets ahead in the key spurt of offense.

The Basics

Score: Randolph-Macon 14, Lynchburg 12

Location/Venue: Ashland, Va./Day Field

Records: Randolph-Macon (6-6, 3-1 ODAC), Lynchburg (5-6, 2-2 ODAC)

How It Happened

• Senior Hannah Jones (Chestertown, Md. / Kent County) led off the scoring for Randolph-Macon. With 24:22 to go in the first half, she got a shot off that landed for the goal. The assist on her goal came from sophomore Taylor Sheppard (Queenstown, Md. / Queen Anne's County).
• Lynchburg scored two in a row to take a 2-1 lead.
• Sophomore Erin Mattone (Little Silver, N.J. / Red Bank Catholic) answered, tying the game at 2-2, thanks to an assist from sophomre Natalie Webster (Midlothian, Va. / Midlothian).
• Lynchburg got the lead back once more with a goal at the 20:22 mark, but less than a minute later, Castle tied the match at 3-3 with a free position goal.
• Hannah Jones scored two in a row about four minutes apart to put R-MC on top by two.
• In an player-advantage situation, senior Saunders Riley (Summerfield, N.C. / Northern Guilford) slotted a goal following an assisting pass from Hewes to give R-MC a 6-3 lead.
• Lynchburg answered less than a minute later, while R-MC added one more score on a Webster goal with 5:05 to go in the period, pushing the Yellow Jackets ahead 7-4. The Hornets finished the period with two goals to cut the R-MC lead to just one at 7-6 heading into the break.
• Freshman McKenzie Hynson (Pasadena, Md. / Northeast) started the second half out earning the free position shot, which she converted into an R-MC goal just 17 seconds into the period.
• Lynchburg answered though, with two free position shots of its own, locking the game at 8-8.
• Samper and Castle each scored with unassisted plays, giving R-MC yet another cushion, but with plenty of time remaining, Lynchburg cut the lead back to one at 10-9 with 15:45 to go.
• Less than a minute after the Hornet score, Castle began the run for R-MC with 14:22 to go in the frame. About four minutes later, Samper dished out a pass to Jones and Jones finished the play off to convert the score for R-MC. Samper scored herself at the 8:45 mark and Hewes finished the run with a free position shot at the 6:59 point. R-MC used the run to go ahead 14-9.
• Lynchburg threatened late with three straight goals, but R-MC held on to win 14-12.

Inside The Numbers

• Junior Elicia Wells (Richmond, Va. / Trinity) made 15 saves in a stellar effort in goal tonight. 
• The defense clicked on all cylinders as well, with R-MC causing six turnovers. Senior Abby Roth (Bayville, N.J. / Donovan Catholic) made three caused turnovers while junior Olivia Cheezum (Centreville, Md. / Queen Anne's County) made two. Lexi Jones made the last of the R-MC caused turnovers.
• Roth also lead the team with four ground balls. Hannah Jones picked up three ground balls while Cheezum, Riley, Samper and Hewes each had two.
• Hynson and Hewes each earned four draw controls. Hannah Jones grabbed three as well.

Up Next

Randolph-Macon will face Randolph at 1:00 PM on Saturday in Ashland.