March 17, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. -- The Lady Monarchs put its unbeaten 3-0 record on the line with a trip to the 9th ranked UNC Tar Heels (5-2) tomorrow evening, with game time set for 5:00 pm. It will be ODU's second in a three-game road swing as the Lady Monarchs will head to Philadelphia this weekend for a game against St. Joseph's. Leading scorer and CAA Player of the Week Kelly Kimener had four goals against the Tar Heels last year, while junior Ashley Kellogg added one in the game.
Kimener and Kellogg are leading the way for ODU again this season, with rookie Lisa Bernardini also a feature offensively. Kimener leads the way with 12 points on seven goals and five assists, while Kellogg has a team-high 10 goals and has added an assist for 11 points. Bernardini has nine goals and an assist, while scoring on nine of her ten shots this season, for ten points this season.
Defensively, Old Dominion has leaned heavily on four starting senior defenders: Lindsey Belle, Jordan McKeon, Erica Erb and Brittany Washko. The seniors have helped lighten the load for newcomer Sarah Geary in net. Geary has posted a 10.00 goals against average in her first three career games, making 19 saves while allowing just 30 goals. Saratu Dodo, a junior midfielder, has also made her presence known this year, causing a team-high six turnovers and grabbing eight ground balls, good for second on the team.
The Tar Heels have played a demanding schedule thus far, including a win over #4 Virginia last week. UNC is led offensively by juniors Jenn Russell and Megan Bosica, each with 20 points. Russell has 15 goals and five assists while Bosica has added 13 goals and seven helpers. There are three others in double-figure scoring for the Tar Heels.
Defensively, Logan Ripley has over a 40% save percentage while posting a 9.29 goals against average in net. She has played all but 4:52 in goal this season for North Carolina, which features one of the nation's best defensive players ahead of her, senior All-American Amber Falcone.
The game is set for 5:00 pm at Fetzer Field on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. Live stats will be available via Gametracker on odusports.com.