Oct. 10, 2008
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- The Old Dominion field hockey team picked up its fifth straight win on Friday afternoon with a 2-0 victory over Hofstra at the Hofstra Field Hockey Stadium.
Senior Katelyn Smither (Suffolk, Va.) and junior Kathleen Shea (Elizaville, N.Y.) scored just under three minutes apart in the later minutes of the first half to up the Lady Monarchs' overall record to 6-6 and 4-0 the in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
The victory not only upped the Lady Monarchs' overall record to .500, but also brought head coach Beth Anders to within two games of her 500 career victory. With Friday's win over Hofstra, Anders holds a 498-98-7 overall mark, needing only two more wins to become the first Division I coach and second collegiate field hockey coach overall to reach the 500 win milestone.
The Pride meanwhile dropped to 7-4 overall and 1-3 in league play. It has been the only game thus far Hofstra has not managed to collect a goal. For the Lady Monarchs, it was their third shutout of the year.
Smither collected the game-winner in the contest's 27th minute of action. On the Lady Monarchs' sixth penalty corner of the game, junior Hanna Warren's (Green Lane, Pa.) shot on goal was saved by Hofstra netminder Amanda Heyde. Smither, however, controlled the rebound for her team-leading fifth tally of the season and her second game-winner of the 2008 season.
Less than three minutes later Shea would give Old Dominion a 2-0 edge on the Lady Monarch's next penalty corner opportunity. Shea found her way to the back of the Pride cage off a pass from Warren.
In goal, ODU's Kelly Driscoll (West Chester, Pa.) made seven saves for the 23rd shutout of her career. Hofstra's Heyde recorded six stops in the loss.
Old Dominion held a slight edge in shots, 13-12. The Lady Monarchs outshot the Hofstra 10-4 in the first half, however in half number two, the Pride outshot ODU 8-3. On penalty corners, Old Dominion saw nine opportunities to strike at the Hofstra goal with eight of them coming in the first half. The Pride, on the other hand, recorded seven.
The Old Dominion field hockey team has just one road game remaining on its regular season schedule. The Lady Monarchs take on No. 17 Drexel on Sunday, October 12th at 1:00 p.m. Following Sunday's contest, Old Dominion will return home for a seven-game homestand to close out the 2008 regular season.