Oct. 22, 2006
NORFOLK, Va. - The third-ranked Old Dominion field hockey team improved its mark to 16-2 overall and 6-0 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play with its 10th shutout of the year in a 7-0 victory over No. 20 Hofstra.
The Pride fell to 10-6 overall and 3-3 in CAA action.
The Lady Monarchs dominated the offense outshooting the Pride 33-5 and holding a 19-2 advantage in corners.
Old Dominion did not get onto the scoreboard until the last remaining seconds of the first half. Although the Lady Monarchs had 13 penalty corner attempts and 15 shots on net in the first stanza, sophomore Jo Ann van Aswegen (Bloemfountein, South Africa) was the only one to get past Hofstra goalkeeper Jessica Cowperthwait. Van Aswegen's goal with 29.3 seconds remaining in the first half would be the eventual game-winner, her second of the year.
The second half saw the Lady Monarch offense rattle off five answered goals. Sophomore Katelyn Smither (Suffolk, Va.) started the scoring barrage with just over 17 minutes remaining as she capitalized on a rebound off a penalty corner shot. Less than two minutes later, fellow classmate Nico van Nispen (Bilthoven, Holland) gave ODU a 3-0 lead with another rebound off a penalty corner shot.
Freshman Titia Beek (Heillo, Holland) was the only Lady Monarch to score more than once. She tallied her first career goal as she positioned herself in front of the Pride net off a pass from senior Darcy Pinchbeck (Suffolk, Va.) just under the eight-minute mark. Two minutes later, Beek scored again to give the Lady Monarchs a 5-0 edge.
Sophomore Denise Admiraal (Heillo, Holland) rounded out the day's scoring with a little under five minutes remaining in the game. Admiraal's goal was her 10th of the season.
Hofstra netminder Cowperthwait made 19 saves in the onslaught of Lady Monarch shots. Nadine Surak played the final five minutes in the cage for the Pride after Cowperthwait received a yellow card and made two stops. Pride defensive member Shannon Alexander also recorded a defensive save. Redshirt freshman keeper Kelly Driscoll (West Chester, Pa.) made four saves in net for the Lady Monarchs.
Old Dominion returns to action next week in its final two games of the regular season. The Lady Monarchs host #6 North Carolina on Saturday, October 28th in their final non-conference test. The game will be the annual scholarship match with the $5.00 admission to benefit the Intercollegiate Foundation for Field Hockey Scholarships. ODU students are admitted free with ID. The regular season comes to a close on Sunday, October 29th when Old Dominion hosts William & Mary. The Lady Monarch seniors will be honored prior to the start of the game.