Nov. 14, 2006
NORFOLK, Va. -- Six Old Dominion field hockey players landed on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-South Region team it was announced Tuesday.
Sophomore midfielder Denise Admiraal (Heillo, Holland), senior back Caroline Nichols (Va. Beach, Va.), senior forward Darcy Pinchbeck (Suffolk, Va.), and senior midfielder Dana Sensenig (Denver, Pa.) were named First Team All-Region while sophomore defender Daphne Admiraal (Heillo, Holland) and sophomore midfielder Nico van Nispen (Bilthoven, Holland) earned Second Team All-Region honors.
Denise Admiraal was the Lady Monarchs' second leading scorer having collected 13 goals and five assists for a total of 31 points. Among her CAA counterparts, she ranked fourth in points (31), points per game (1.35), goals (13), and goals per game (0.57). Admiraal posted a hat trick against Towson and was also a multiple scorer against William & Mary. She had two game-winners under her belt during the regular season capturing game-winners against Virginia and the first meeting against North Carolina.
Nichols, the CAA Player and Defender of the Year, anchored an Old Dominion defensive unit that led a defense which ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation. Entering the post-season, she helped the ODU defense hold opponents to only 13 goals in 20 games. Nichols helped the team recorded 12 shutouts, with eight of those coming against conference competition. She also contributed offensively finishing the season fourth on the team in scoring with 10 goals, four assists, and 24 pouts. The senior back posted a team-high four game-winning goals, including the deciding goals against nationally ranked foes Duke, North Carolina and Michigan. Nichols was the ninth different ODU player to receive the CAA's top award, but is the first in league history to sweep Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season. Among CAA players, Nichols ranked fifth in points (24) and goals (10).Sensenig, a First Team All-CAA and All-Tournament selection, led the Lady Monarchs with 56 points stemming from a team-leading 20 goals and 16 assists. She concluded her career tied for eighth on the all-time ODU points leaders list with 171 during her four season. Nationally she ranked eight in both points (2.43) and assists (0.70) per game and was 17th in goals per game (0.87). Additionally is was the nation's leader in penalty strokes converted (5). Among her CAA counterparts, Sensenig led the league in points (56), points per game (2.43), goals (20), assists (16), and assists per game (0.70) and was second in goals per game (0.87) She was a multiple goal scorer in contests against Ohio, Duke, Drexel, Virginia Commonwealth, and Princeton.
Pinchbeck was fifth on the squad in scoring in 2006 with nine goals, three assists, and 21 points. She posted a hat trick against Virginia Commonwealth and notched game-winners in victories over Richmond and Delaware. Pinchbeck ended the year tied for eight in goals (9) in the league.
Daphne Admiraal helped anchor the ODU defense, which again ranked as high as No. 1 in the nations. She helped hold opponents to only 125 shots at the Lady Monarch cage while collecting 439 as a team. She also led the team with two defensive saves.
Van Nispen concluded the year third in scoring registering 10 goals, eight assists, and 28 points. A CAA Player of the Week honoree, she ranked in several categories in the CAA statistics including third in assists (8), fifth in points (28) and goals (10), sixth in points per game (1.22), and seventh in assists per game (0.35).
The Old Dominion field hockey team ended the year ranked third by the STX/NFHCA Coaches Poll with a 19-4 overall mark.