Sept. 10, 2005
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Lady Monarch field hockey team was edged out by Michigan, 4-3, in their first road contest at Phyllis Ocker Field to fall to 2-3 on the 2005 season.
Wolverine captain Katie Morris registered her first career hat trick to lead her squad to give Michigan its third straight and even the Wolverines' season record at 3-3.
Outshot and outcornered by the Lady Monarchs throughout the contest, the teams kept the score close as they exchanged goals and neither led by more than one tally.
Morris captured the game-winner with just over 10 minutes remaining in the match on a redirected shot from back Kara Lentz. Lentz took a sweeping shot off a free hit just outside the striking circle, playing the ball across to Morris deep on the right side. Old Dominion was held to two shots in the final minutes of action.
Michigan opened scoring in the game as Erin Dallas scored at the 5:54 Dallas carried the ball deep into the Lady Monarch zone and from the middle of the striking circle took a shot which was stopped by ODU goalkeeper Mary Cate Gordon (Oreland, Pa.). Dallas picked up her own rebound and sent a high shot into the upper right corner for her second goal of the season.
The Wolverine lead was short-lived, however, as the Lady Monarchs stole the advantage with a pair of goals over the subsequent four minutes from a pair of their newcomers. Rookie Katelyn Smither (Suffolk, Va.) knotted the score at 1-1 after corralling the ball during a scrum in front of the Michigan cage and slamming it past Wolverine goalkeeper Beth Riley on the far side at the 7:05 mark. Just two minutes later, fellow freshman Denise Admiraal (Heiloo, Holland) put Old Dominion ahead on the scoreboard, tipping a shot from freshman Nicolien van Nispen (Bilthoven, Holland) into the high left corner.
Morris collected her first goal of the match at the 17:11 mark to send the teams into halftime with a deadlocked 2-2 score. Lentz took a hard shot off a Michigan penalty corner that was halted and cleared by the Lady Monarch defenders. Morris stormed in to pick up the ball in front of the cage and maneuver it past Gordon.
Old Dominion regained the lead quickly after the start of the second frame as senior Janelle Engle (Mt. Joy, Pa.) sent a low shot into the bottom left corner directly off a Lady Monarch penalty corner opportunity at 37:58 for her third goal of the year.
Michigan battled back from the deficit, catching Gordon out of position at 53:49 to even the score. The Michigan backfield sent a long lead pass to freshman Stephanie Hoyer who chased after a ball alone to bear down on the ODU cage. Coming out beyond the cirlce, Gordon got to the ball first but could not control as Mary Fox got it to Morris, who was waiting to send it into the open net.
Old Dominion held a 17-10 advantage in shots, including a 10-6 lead in the first half, and outcornered the Wolverines 10-3. Riley stopped nine of ODU's 12 shots on goal, while Gordon made four saves in the Lady Monarchs' defeat.
Old Dominion will return to action tomorrow, Sunday September 11th to face Miami (OH) in a neutral turf contest.