BRIDGEWATER, Va. – After taking the Bridgewater Eagles football team took a 17-10 lead into the locker room, Hampden-Sydney tallied 14 unanswered points in the third quarter as the Eagles fell in their Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) opener to the Tigers by a 24-17 tally on Homecoming at Jopson Field.

The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Eagles.

Hampden-Sydney struck first on their opening possession of the game when quarterback Travis Lane caught Sean Cavanagh on a 12-yard strike to put the Tigers ahead 7-0 with 13:29 left in the first quarter.

Bridgewater answered six minutes later when quarterback Hagan Driskell (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline) connected for the first of two touchdown passes to fellow senior Tyler Beiler (Ronks, Pa./Conestoga Valley) to knot the score up at seven each.

Following a set of exchanges by both teams, Bridgewater took the lead midway through the second frame when Driskell once again connected with Beiler, this time from 18 yards out, to put the Eagles ahead 14-7.

Hampden-Sydney chipped into the Bridgewater lead on the ensuing drive when a David Prizzia 31-yard field goal split the uprights to carve the Bridgewater lead to a 14-10 margin.

Following a nine-play Tigers drive which stalled out, the Eagles got the ball back with 41 ticks left and made the best of it, chipping their way down field to the 14 yard line with seven seconds left in the first half.

Freshman kicker Jordan Thacker (Hickory, N.C./Fred T. Foard) split the uprights on a 31-yard field goal with three seconds left in the first half to give the Eagles a 17-10 advantage as the game went to the intermission.

Out of the halftime break, a Bridgewater fumble on its first possession of the second half proved costly, setting the Tigers up with great field position at the Eagles 12.

Hampden-Sydney needed just one play to knot the game up at 17 when an Evan King scamper from 12 yards out tied the game up with 12:56 to play in the third quarter.

Eleven minutes later, Hampden-Sydney took the lead on a three-yard pitch and catch from Lane to Stuart Callahan to put the Tigers up by a 24-17 tally.

Bridgewater picked up new life when Jeff Mehlhaff (Louisa, Va./Louisa County) picked off a Lane pass at the Eagles three to open the fourth quarter.

On the ensuing drive, the Eagles marched to the Hampden-Sydney 27 before a Thacker 44-yard field goal missed wide right, keeping the score at a 24-17 lead for the Tigers.

Bridgewater forced a stop on the next Hampden-Sydney drive, giving the Eagles one more shot at forcing overtime with 3:17 left in the game.

Following a complete pass to keep the drive alive on second and long, a pair of incomplete passes from Driskell was followed up by a Hampden-Sydney sack, forcing fourth down. With fourth and 13 showing, Driskell was flushed from the pocket and missed running back Nathaniel Jackson (Strasburg, Va./Skyline), effectively sealing the deal for Hampden-Sydney, giving the Tigers a hard-fought 24-17 win.

The loss for Bridgewater was their fourth straight to the Tigers.

On the ground, senior Darrin McKenzie (Rustburg, Va./Brookville) was superb. McKenzie tallied 126 yards on 15 carries in the loss.

Through the air, Driskell was again solid completing 23 of 37 passes for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns. When Driskell was intercepted in the third quarter, it snapped a streak of 85 straight passes for the senior without an interception.

On the receiving end, Beiler was again sensational. The Keystone State native hauled in nine passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

Defensively, senior corner Darius Burrus (Virginia Beach, Va./Tallwood) led the Eagles with 10 stops, including eight solo tackles.

For the Tigers, Evan King led the way on the ground with 10 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown. King also led Hampden-Sydney through the air with five catches for 43 yards.

Lane was impressive for the Tigers, completing 20 of 31 passes for 178 yards and two scores.

On the defensive side of the ball, Trevor Ikwild posted a game-high 11 tackles in the win. Bill Doody also posted 10 tackles for the Tigers.

On the afternoon, Bridgewater was 9-of-19 on third down, while holding Hampden-Sydney to just 6-of-13 on third downs.

The Achilles Heel for the Eagles was their 10 penalties for 122 yards and a bevel of missed opportunities.

Bridgewater outgained Hampden-Sydney by a 392-to-237 tally and ran off 13 more plays than the Tigers on offense.

The Eagles are back in action next Saturday, October 16, when the team travels to Guilford. Action against the Quakers is slated for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.