Bridgewater, Va.-  On Saturday, Oct. 16, the Eagles defeated the Maroons 4-0 in a very encouraging showing.

Carlee Gaboury, a junior for the Eagles, made a total of three saves, which were sufficient to secure her team’s shutout. Bridgewater’s ongoing determination and perseverance throughout the difficult match-up became crucial in the hotly contested affair.

First-year Kendall Garza led the team with three shots, tied with junior Ashley Sabatino, first-year Micah Stine and senior Kaia Richardson. This is followed by juniors Skyler Daum and Katelyn Seagrave, each taking a shot. 

For the Eagles, senior Hanna Randolph, junior Ashley Sabatino and first-year Lyric Birkley tied for the most shots with three each. In the exciting ODAC game, Birkley and Randolph both scored twice to finish off the Maroons. 

Early opportunities were shared by both teams, including a shot by Junior Hannah Nugent for the Eagles in the third minute that Lippi Carrington parried away. In the ninth minute, Roanoke took their first chance at goal, but Gaboury was able to stop it for BC.

Randolph scored on her first shot of the game in the fifteenth minute to give Bridgewater a 1-0 lead right away. The Maroons attempted to repay the favor with two shots off the subsequent kickoff, but none were successful.

A corner kick was awarded to the Eagles in minute 34. The kick was received by Randolph, who connected with Birkley to boost BC to a 2-0 lead in the first half. However, Randolph continued to score in the opening period, doing so once more in minute 39 to make it 3-0 at the break.

With just over 20 minutes remaining, Birkley added her second goal of the game in minute 67 to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead. In the waning moments, Roanoke had one final opportunity, but their shot was wide of the goal.

“I think we had good energy from getting off the bus until the end of the game. Everyone was very vocal on the sidelines cheering for everyone,” said team manager and junior Riley Heinbaugh. “The big thing was we finished a lot of opportunities in front of the goal and took advantage of the mistakes their defense was making.” 

With the victory and shutout, BC has now gone five games without giving up a goal, tying the second-longest streak in program history. Additionally, the Eagles have matched the program record set in 2014 by not conceding a goal in nine of their past ten games. 

“Yesterday’s win was a big one for sure,” said Randolph. “Roanoke is a well-respected team, so having beat them 4-0 was an accomplishment for us. We’ve been able to see what we’ve been practicing come together, and the team chemistry just grows with each game. I’m proud of everyone because our work ethic has been great, and the next coming games will all be huge matchups. I’m looking forward to seeing us continue to develop as a group leading up to the tournament.” 

Randolph now has 23 assists, bringing her into sole ownership of second place all-time in program history. The graduate student placessixth in career points with 25 and seventh in career goals with 73.

The Eagles have now finished a season with at least 10 shutouts for the sixth time under head coach Mike Van Horn.Van Horn’s thirteenth season with double-digit victories is now fully secured after this sensational win versus Roanaoke.