The #7 Seed Virginia Wesleyan University women's lacrosse team (9-9, 5-5 ODAC) was defeated by the #6 Seed Bridgewater 11-4 in the ODAC Championship tournament.
The Marlins had a record season, going .500 in conference play and having the first winning record since 2022 when they had an overall record of 9-9 and 5-3 in conference. The Marlins improved greatly on the field, increasing their goal output to 188 this season, the most goals scored in a season since 2019 when they scored 189. The Marlins' defense was great as well allowing the lowest goals against (192) since the 2018 season when the team allowed 159 over 15 games. The future is bright for the Virginia Wesleyan women's lacrosse team.
The Marlins wasted no time making their mark in the opening quarter, with
Madison Pfister putting VWU on the board just over three minutes in off a beautiful feed from
Gianna Delevan. Pfister stayed hot, netting another on a man-up opportunity with a sharp assist from
Daphne Myers to give VWU a 2-0 lead. The Eagles ended the first quarter with a goal, to bring the score to 2-1.
Bridgewater opened up the second quarter with an unassisted goal to tie the game at 2-2, but VWU responded as
Creelyn Bastinelli capitalized on a man-up opportunity to reclaim the lead at 3-2. The momentum seemed to swing in favor of the Marlins, but Bridgewater's offense surged, scoring two straight to close out the half and carry a 4-3 lead into the break.
Out of the break, the Eagles played well and outscored the Marlins 3-0 to take a 7-3 lead heading into the fourth.
Despite VWU's best efforts in the fourth quarter, Bridgewater maintained control as they added four goals in the fourth. The Marlins found the back of the net late in the fourth quarter when
Reese Morgenthaler scored on another man-up chance. Despite Virginia Wesleyan's efforts, the host sealed the 11-4 win with great defense.
