BRIDGEWATER, Va.- On Sept. 24, Bridgewater College women’s soccer scored 12 goals, their highest output in three seasons, as they overwhelmed Hollins 12-0 to kick off the Old Dominion Athletic Conference play in record-setting fashion.
According to Bridgewater College Athletics, the program has achieved notable wins in the past against Hollins, including a 9–0 victory in 2024.
“The message was to play in our standard, not to drop down to their standard,” Head Coach Mike Van Horn said.
Nineteen seconds into the match, junior forward Laura Narby tapped in the opener off an assist from junior forward Lyric Birkley, setting the tone. Birkley followed that up with her own goal moments later, and Narby added a second goal in the second minute to make it 3–0.
“We definitely expected to come out hard and fast,” defensive junior Brynn Dempsey said.
The Eagles found the net mostly in the first half of play, scoring 11 of the total 12 during this time. Bridgewater College Athletics displayed that 4 of the goals in the first half were scored between 5 and 18 minutes, and the last 4 were between 18 and 36 minutes. Bridgewater finished off with a penalty kick goal in the second half at the 72nd minute.
Ten different Eagles found the net, with scores coming from every line. Bridgewater College Athletics stated that: forwards, midfielders, and even defenders pushed forward.
“A lot of girls like freshmen got to score, but our normal goal scorers scored,“ Dempsey said. “We always like to pass to each other, and letting other people score just shows how we move the ball.”
Van Horn said, “It shows the depth and the quality that we have; a complete team effort.”
Rocktown Now highlighted that Bridgewater keeper Micah Stine blocked Hollins’s only shot attempt in the first half. The Eagles had 22 shots total, with 14 on goal.
This win gives Bridgewater a 1–0 record in ODAC play, and Hollins falls to 0–1 in conference play. With this momentum, the Eagles head into their next matchup against Virginia Wesleyan.
“We look really strong,“ Dempsey said. “Focusing on the next winnable games.”
