Oct. 9, 2008
ABOUT OLD DOMINION: The Lady Monarchs enter this weekend's competition riding a four-game winning streak. Last weekend, Old Dominion picked up a pair of CAA victories - a 2-0 shutout over Towson and a 2-1 victory against Delaware - to improve to 5-6 overall, pulling one game within .500. The Lady Monarchs own a 3-0 record in conference play and are currently a half-game out of first place right behind No. 7 James Madison. Senior Katelyn Smither continues to lead the Lady Monarchs in scoring with four goals, totaling eight points. Second on the stat sheet is sophomore Loran Hatch with two goals, three assists, and seven points, followed by junior Alyschia Conn with six points stemming from three goals. In goal, senior Kelly Driscoll is posting a 1.93 goals against average and a .783 save percentage. She has totaled 72 saves on the year and collected two shutouts.
HOME AND AWAY: Old Dominion hits the road for the final time during the regular season this weekend. The Lady Monarchs hold a 2-6 mark away from the friendly confines of the Powhatan Sports Complex. At home, Old Dominion is 3-0. Following this weeeknd, the Lady Monarchs will return to the Powhatan Sports Complex to begin a seven-game homestand to close out the 2008 regular season.
WE'RE HONORED: Junior Alyschia Conn was named to the Women's Field Hockey.Com Honor Roll on Tuesday following her performance against CAA rivals Towson and Delaware last weekend. Conn tallied both goals in ODU's 2-0 shutout over Towson and added her in third goal of the weekend in the Lady Monarch's 2-1 victory over Delaware.
BACK INTO THE POLLS - WOMEN'S FIELD HOCKEY.COM: The Old Dominion field hockey team returned to the Top 20 of the Women's Field Hockey.Com Poll this week. The Lady Monarchs, who are ranked 20th, make their first appearance in the poll since September 1st and the first week of the poll.
ABOUT HOFSTRA: The Pride of Hofstra University enters the weekend with a 7-3 overall mark and 1-2 record in CAA play. The Pride is looking to return to the win column after falling 7-3 to No. 7 James Madison in their last outing. Charlia Warner leads all Pride members with 20 points from nine goals and two assists. She is fifth in the CAA in scoring. Kristin Thompson checks in as Hofstra's second leading scorer with four goals, six assists, and 14 points, while Brit Blankmeyer ranks third having posted five goals and two assists for 12 points. In goal, duties have been spilt between three different keepers with starts spilting between Krisha Giammarco and Amanda Heyde. Giammarco is holding a 1.82 goals against average and .667 save percentage, while Heyde enters the weekend with a 2.94 goals against average and .695 save percentage.
LAST MEETING WITH HOFSTRA: Four different Lady Monarchs scored in the 4-0 victory back on October 6, 2007. Old Dominion held a 1-0 lead at the half as Loran Hatch scored first in the game's 14th minute of play for what would be one of her three game-winners on the year. In the second half, the Lady Monarchs saw goals from Hanna Warren, Kathleen Shea, and Katelyn Smither. Old Dominion keeper Kelly Driscoll needed to make just one save to preserve the shutout, while her counterpart, Nadine Surak, made six stops in the Pride's loss. Old Dominion outshot Hoftra, 22-3, and outcornered the Pride, 11-1.
ALL-TIME VS. HOFSTRA: Old Dominion hold a perfect 6-0 record against the Pride.
ABOUT DREXEL: Drexel will enter the weekend with a 9-3 overall record and 2-1 CAA mark and are currently ranked 17th in the lastest NFHCA Coaches' Poll. The Dragons will host William & Mary on Friday before hosting the Lady Monarchs on Sunday. Drexel is led by Susan Cifufo, the CAA's third leading scorer, who has accumulated 27 points off of 11 goals and five assists. Jen Cairone and Christina Mastropaoo are tied for second in scoring on the Dragon roster. Both have recorded 13 points, Cairone from six goals and an assist, and Mastropaolo from five goals and three assists. Colleen McAndrew serves as Drexel's last line of defense in the cage posting a .772 save percentage and 1.52 goals against average.
LAST MEETING WITH DREXEL: The Lady Monarchs downed the Drexel Dragons, 2-0, back on October 7th. The Lady Monarchs captured both their goals in the late part of the second half. Kathleen Shea tallied the game-winner in the game's 22nd minute while Loran Hatch added in an insurance goal. Old Dominion outshot Drexel, 13-8, but the Dragon defense held the Lady Monarchs to just two shots in the second half. Both teams also totaled three penalty corners. Goalkeeper Kelly Driscoll made six saves in the victory while the Dragon's Colleen McAndrew registered five.
ALL-TIME VS. DREXEL: Old Dominion holds a perfect 7-0 record against Drexel.
IN THE POLLS - NFHCA: Old Dominion enters the weekend unranked in the NFHCA Top 20 Poll, but is receiving 22 votes. Nine Lady Monarch's opponents are currently ranked in the poll's Top 20 with six more opponents receiving votes. Members of this week's Top 10 that grace the ODU schedule including No. 1 Maryland, No. 2 Syracuse, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 7 James Madison, No. 9 Duke, and No. 10 Virginia.
NEARING THE HALF CENTURY MARK: Head coach Beth Anders enters this weekend's games with a 497-98-7 overall record, needing just three victories to become the first Division I coach and second field hockey coach overall to reach the 500 win milestone .