ASHLAND, Va. - Women's Lacrosse hosted Roanoke for the 2026 ODAC Championship Semifinals on Friday night. The Yellow Jackets used a strong fourth quarter to come back and force overtime.
The Basics
Score: Randolph-Macon 13, Roanoke 12
Venue: Ashland, Va. // Randolph-Macon College // Day Field
Records: Randolph-Macon (13-5, 6-2 ODAC); Roanoke (10-9, 6-2 ODAC)
How it Happened
- Randolph-Macon opened the scoring with back-to-back goals from Reese Toth (Edgewater, Md./South River) and Campbell Conway (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary's) to quickly take a 2-0 lead. Over the next two minutes, Roanoke answered, leveling the game at 2-2. Cami McNeally (Severna Park, Md./Archbishop Spalding) tallied the next two goals to grab another two-goal lead for the Yellow Jackets. At the 1:18 mark, Maddie McDonald added her first goal of the game to cut the deficit to one, closing out the first quarter.
- 40 seconds into the start of the second quarter, McDonald struck again on the power play to level the game at 4-4. She found the back of the net once again at the 9:02 mark to grab the first lead of the game for the Maroons. RC continued the offensive momentum and tallied another goal three minutes later on a free position shot to extend the lead to two. At the 5:46 mark, Toth netted her second of the game to put the Lemon and Black within one goal. Both teams' goalies made a key save, making sure not to give the other momentum heading into the break.
- Coming out of the break, the Yellow Jackets struck first on a free-position shot from Elaina Creekmore (Pasadena, Md./Old Mill) two minutes into the second half. McDonald gave the Maroons the lead once again, less than a minute later. Lilly Fowler (Phoenix, Md./Notre Dame Prep) sent a shot on cage that rang off the post, almost equalizing the game. McDonald continued to slice through the RMC defense, rattling off the next two goals to close out the third quarter and extend the Maroons' lead to three.
- The Yellow Jackets' offense came alive in the final quarter of regulation. In the first five minutes of the quarter, the Lemon and Black recorded three unanswered goals from Conway, Emma Moxham (Street, Md./Garrison Forest School) and Hailey Pierce (Mechanicsville, Va./Mechanicsville) to tie the game up at nine apiece. At the 8:35 mark, McDonald added her seventh goal of the game to grab the lead and one minute later found the back of the net again to grab an 11-9 lead with 7:21 left to play. One minute later, Grayson Cornelius (Glenwood, Md./Glenelg High School) started a three-goal run for the Yellow Jackets with McNeally and Toth finding the net to grab a 12-11 lead with 3:57 left in the game. At the 2:39 mark, Ryan Tinervin found the back of the net for RC, tallying the equalizing goal. With 10 seconds left on the clock, RMC had an opportunity to close out the game but could not convert as the final period of regulation came to a close.
- At 3:38 on the clock in overtime, Toth tested the Roanoke keeper, Kendall Todd, threatening to end the game. McDonald sliced her way through the defense once again for the Maroons but the Yellow Jackets held firm and Gladdden made a key save. With 1:30 remaining in the first overtime period, McNeally cut to the front of the net, where Fowler threaded a pass through the defense. McNeally fired it into the bottom left corner, sending the Yellow Jackets to the ODAC Championship game.
Inside the Numbers
- Fowler quarterbacked the RMC offense, tallying six points on six assists. She also picked up a ground ball.
- Toth had five points in the win over Roanoke, recording three goals and two assists.
- McNeally scored four goals for four points total in the contest.
- Each team recorded 26 shots overall but RMC held a slight edge, 20-14, in shots on goal.
- The Lemon and Black held the Advantage in ground balls, scooping up nine to Raonoke's seven.
- In transition, the Yellow Jackets went 14-18, while the Maroons went 13-16. Both teams recorded a clear percentage of .812.
- Moxham controlled the draw circle, tallying seven of the 15 draw controls won by the Lemon and Black.
For the Record
- This is the first time since 2019 that the Yellow Jackets have advanced to the ODAC Championship.
- Moxham is two draw controls away from tying Kaylyn Hewes (2018-21) for 200 career draw controls and third place all-time.
- Fowler passed Alex Lightfoot (2018) for assists in a single season with 43. She has also amassed 300 points on her career, etching her name in the top three all time.
- Pierce is now one draw control away from tying Erin Clare Cassidy (2011) for single-season draw controls with 91.
Up Next
Women's Lacrosse will travel to Lexington, Virginia, for the ODAC Championship when they are slated to take on the Washington and Lee Generals on Sunday, May 3. The time of the first draw is currently TBD.
