Sept. 12, 2006
NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion field hockey team remained in third place in the STX/NFHCA Coaches Poll and moved up two notched in the Women's Field.com to number three as well.
In the STX/NFHCA Coaches Poll, Wake Forest moved into a tie with Maryland for the nation's number one rank. Both teams received 738 with the Terps collecting 20 first place votes and the Deamon Deacons collecting 17. Following Old Dominion was their opponents for this week, No. 4 North Carolina and No. 5 Duke.
Other upcoming opponents ranked in the poll were No. 13 James Mdison, No. 17 William & Mary, and No. 18 Hofstra. The Pride moved into the top 20 for the first time this week.
Also receiving votes were CAA schools Northeastern, Drexel, Delaware, and Towson as well as non-conference opponent Princeton.
In the Women's Field Hockey.com Poll, Maryland claimed the top spot followed by Wake Forest. North Carolina was fourth followed by Duke at number five.
CAA Player of the Week Caroline Nichols (Va. Beach, Va.) was also named to Women's Field Hockey.com's Honor Roll for her efforts last week. The senior defender anchored the Old Dominion backfield which boasted two shutouts last week, as the Lady Monarchs picked up two wins against ranked opponents. Nichols' defensive effort helped ODU to its first shutout in a 3-0 victory over #19 Richmond as the Spiders were held to four total shots including just one in the first half. She followed by helping the Lady Monarchs to back-to-back shutouts with a 2-0 victory over #20 Michigan. Along with helping to keep the Wolverines without a shot in the first half, Nichols captured the game-winner as she drilled home a shot on a Lady Monarch penalty corner attempt.
In the national stats, redshirt goalkeeper Kelly Driscoll (West Chester, Pa.) ranks sixth in goals per game (0.83) and 19th in save percentage (.792).
In conference stats, as a team the Lady Monarchs are second behind Drexel in by socring margin (2.00) and scoring average (4.80). Senior midfielder Dana Sensenig (Denver, Pa.) is tied for fourth in the CAA in points (11), seventh in goals (4), and eighth in points (1.83) and goals (0.67) per game. Sensenig and sophomore forward Katelyn Smither (Suffolk, Va.) appear in the assists category as both are tied for in eight for assists (3) and in ninth for assists per game (0.50). Driscoll, ODU's netminder, is second behind Towson's Christina Armer in goals against average and ranks fourth in save percentage (.792).
The Lady Monarch field hockey team returns to action on Saturday at No. 4 North Carolina in Chapel Hill at 1:00 p.m. and No. 5 Duke in Durham on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
STX/NFHCA Poll in PDF Format
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STX/NFHCA COACHES POLL
Institution Points (first place votes in parentheses)
1. University of Maryland (6-0) 738 (20)
Tie Wake Forest University (7-0) 738 (17)
3. Old Dominion University (5-1) 667
4. University of North Carolina (6-0) 639 (1)
5. Duke University (5-1) 629
6. Ohio State University (4-0) 522
7. Penn State University (4-2) 495
8. Boston College (5-1) 462
9. University of Connecticut (5-1) 461
10. University of Virginia (4-1) 392
11. University of Louisville (3-2) 312
12. American University (5-2) 292
13. James Madison University (5-1) 285
14. Indiana University (5-1) 246
15. University of California, Berkeley (5-2) 242
16. Providence College (6-0) 219
17. College of William & Mary (5-1) 142
18. Hofstra University (4-2) 82
19. University of Richmond (2-2) 70
20. Villanova University (4-3) 57
Also Receiving Votes: Northeastern University (42), University of Iowa (38), University of Michigan (37), Drexel University (33), Boston University (29), University of Pennsylvania (27), University of the Pacific (26), Princeton University (26), Cornell University (12), Ohio University (8), University of Delaware (4),Rutgers University (4), Towson University (4).
Women's Field Hockey.com Poll
1. Maryland
2. Wake Forest
3. Old Dominion
4. UNC
5. Duke
6. Ohio State
7. Boston College
8. Penn State
9. Connecticut
10. Louisville
11. James Madison
12. Virginia
13. Hofstra
14. Indiana
15. Providence
16. California
17. William & Mary
18. Boston University
19. Michigan
20. Richmond