Field Hockey Season Set To Begin On Saturday

ON THE SCHEDUE THIS WEEK:

ON THE SCHEDUE THIS WEEK:

ALL-TIME SERIES RECORDS:

ABOUT THE OPPONENT:

Louisville: Lastseason, the Cardinals shared the regular season championship with CentralMichigan and finished with a 13-8 overall record. After starting the seasonranked fourth in the nation, they finished the year ranked No. 11 in theNational Field Hockey Coaches Association's final poll. Louisville returns 15 letterwinners fromthat team including All-American goalkeeper senior ChristyHershey (98 saves, 1.51 GAA, .756 save %), two-time All-MAC honoreesenior Olivia Netzler (9 G, 2 A, 20 pts.) and 2002 All-MAC team members senior Desire'Miller (5 G, 2 A, 12 pts.) and junior Kim Hughes(5 G, 6 A, 16 pts.).

Penn State: The Lady Lions were the only team to defeat Old Dominion twice in2002, advancing to the national championship and finishing the year with a 19-5record. Seven starters and 12letterwinners return to the field for Penn State, including their top twoleading scorers in All-American Heather Conroy (21 G, 8 A, 50 pts.) and TimarieLegel (15 G, 6 A, 36 pts.), who scored the game-winning goal against the LadyMonarchs in the NCAA semi-final.

Last time vs. Penn State:

BACK IN TIME - THE 2002 REVIEW:

The 2002 Old Dominionfield hockey team returned to the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd straight yearand reached its 15th Final Four in school history. Led by CAA Coach of the Yearand current U.S. Field Hockey Head Coach Beth Anders, Old Dominion finished theyear 21-4 overall, including a perfect 7-0 in CAA play, and a number oneranking in the final National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Poll.

Seniormidfielder Tiffany Snow, Old Dominion's sixth Honda Award winner in the sportof field hockey as the nation's top player, led the squad with 75 points on 30goals and 15 assists. Snow was tied for second in the nation in points (75),second in the country in goals scored (30), and 11th in the nation in assists(15). Defensively she led the Lady Monarchs to six shutouts and recorded ateam-best three defensive saves. Snow led Old Dominion in scoring on sixoccasions, tallied four game-winning goals, and recorded a hat trick fivestimes. Snow finished her career ranked sixth on the Old Dominion All-Time GoalsLeaders list with 71 career tallies and also ranks sixth on the Old Dominionall-time Points Leaders list with 182 points over her four years in a LadyMonarch uniform. The Honda Award was also just one of many on a list ofimpressive honors and awards bestowed upon Snow in 2002. She earned her secondFirst Team Dita/NFHCA All-America and First Team All-South Region honors andwas also named the CAA Player of the Year and to the NCAA and CAAAll-Tournament Teams. Snow became the sixth Lady Monarch to be honored with theHonda Award joining former Old Dominion award winners Yolanda Hightower ('82),Christy Morgan ('84), Kelli James ('92), Mimi Smith ('98), and Marina DiGiacomo('00). The Lady Monarchs hold the distinction of having produced the most HondaAward winners in the sport of field hockey.

Along withSnow, two other Lady Monarchs were named All-America in 2002. Junior midfielderAngie Loy moved up to the First Team after earning Second Team honors followingthe 2001 season. Loy, along with Snow, led the team with 75 points and alsochipped in a team best 25 assists. She also recorded a team leading six gamewinning goals She was named First TeamAll-CAA and First Team All-South Region and was also a CAA All-Tournament teammember. Junior back Melissa Leonetti earned her first All- America honor afterhelping Old Dominion to eight shutouts during the year and recording 19 assistsas the primary stick stopper on the penalty corner unit. Her 19 assists wereonly second to Loy on the team and she was ranked among the top 10 in DivisionI in the category throughout the season. Her defensive efforts helped OldDominion outscore their opponents 131-31 in 2002.

Along withOld Dominion's three All-Americans, seven Lady Monarchs were honoredregionally. Snow, Loy, and Leonetti were First Team All-South members, whilesophomore Lotte Bant and seniors Tara Herrmann, Becky Loy, and Katie Moyer wereSecond Team picks. Herrmann over came a knee injury to still rank among the topscorers on the team. Herrmann posted 19 goals and one assist for a total of 39points. Playing in just 20 of the team's 25 games last season, she rankedfourth on the Lady Monarchs squad in points. The 2001 CAA Rookie of the Year,Bant, enjoyed a highly successful second season with 18 goals, six assists, and42 points. She was named CAA Player of the Week on Sept. 16th scoring threeunanswered goals against then #15 Duke and serving as one of seven Lady Monarchgoal scorers in a 8-1 win over New Hampshire. Loy overcame a stress fracture inher leg which sidelined her last year to have a stellar 2002 season. Loyrecorded nine goals and four assists and has also been an asset to thedefensive side of the field. She tallied the game winner over then #14Princeton in a 3-2 victory, avenging last year's loss to the Tigers in thequarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Moyer served as a vital cog of the OldDominion defense. One of the most vocal members of the team, Moyer led the teamto eight shutouts (Towson, New Hampshire, William and Mary, VCU, #18 Virginia,Hofstra, #1 Maryland). She was also a primary member on the penalty corner unitwhich has taken nearly 300 corners last season. Moyer recorded a defensive saveagainst then #15 Princeton, scored the game-winner, also her first collegiategoal, against New Hampshire, and recorded her first collegiate assist againstthen #8 Michigan State.

At theconference level, six Lady Monarchs were honored. Snow, Loy, and Leonetti wereFirst Team All-CAA members, while Bant, Herrmann, and senior goalkeeper MarybethFreeman were Second Team All-CAA award winners. The Lady Monarchs not onlyshone on the field, but off the field as well. Twelve Old Dominion field hockeyplayers were named Academic All- Americans after achieving a 3.4 or bettercumulative grade point average. Among the twelve was senior goalkeeper MarybethFreeman who became just the second Lady Monarch to achieve AcademicAll-American status throughout her four-year career.

WHO ODU LOST:

WHO ODU RETURNS:

PRESEAON CAA POLL:

1. Old Dominion (5 first-place votes) 47
2. William & Mary (1 first-place vote) 41
3. James Madison (2 first-place votes) 39
4. Delaware 31
5. Drexel 23
6. Hofstra 16
7. Virginia Commonwealth 15
8. Towson 12

(Teams were awarded seven points for a first-place vote, six for second, etc.Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.)

IN THE NATIONAL POLLS:

Final 2002NFHCA Poll:

AlsoReceiving Votes: University of California, Berkeley (38), OhioUniversity (27), Boston University (22), University of Richmond ^ (21),University of Delaware ^ & (6), University of Maine (6), University of NewHampshire ^ & (4), Villanova University (4), Ohio State University (2).

^Indicates 2002 Opponent

&Indicates 2003 Opponent