March 9, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. -- The Lady Monarch women's lacrosse team (1-0) is scheduled to play the Richmond Spiders (0-4) on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm. It will be just the Lady Monarchs second game of the season while the Spiders have already played in five games this spring. The game is a return to the schedule in a long-standing rivalry in which ODU holds a 22-12 advantage. Before last season, the Lady Monarchs and Spiders had played at least once in every season since 1980. The game is set to begin at 7:00 pm at the Powhatan Sports Complex.
Leading the Lady Monarchs after just one game is junior Ashley Kellogg, with five points. She scored four goals and added an assist against American in the season opener to help lead ODU past the Eagles, 8-7. Rookie goalkeeper Sarah Geary stopped five shots and allowed just seven goals in her debut for her first collegiate win.
ODU will also lean on a veteran presence this year, with captains Kelly Kimener leading the attack and Lindsey Belle on defense. The experienced team boasts 13 juniors and seniors, all with significant playing experience.
The Richmond team has struggled early, losing its first four games to very stiff competition. Richmond has faced four top ten ACC teams including three against the road against #2 Duke, #4 Virginia and #9 North Carolina. The Spiders only lost to the second-ranked Blue Devils by five and were tied at the half.
Richmond is led by seniors Allison Furstenburg and Mandy Friend. Furstenburg has 12 goals and 3 assists in the first four games while Friend has 8 goals and 2 helpers on the year. Erica Marrocco has taken the bulk of the duty between the pipes and is averaging over 16 goals against.
Old Dominion has lost four straight to Richmond, with the last victory coming in a 12-10 decision at Richmond in 2003. The Spiders were ranked 20th at the time.