Aug. 26, 2009
2009 Old Dominion Field Hockey Season Preview
Hopes are high in 2009 for head coach Beth Anders and the Old Dominion field hockey team as the Lady Monarchs return 10 of 11 starters from a 2008 squad that was one game away from capturing the Colonial Athletic Association Championship. Anders, who won her 500th career game last season and is the nations winningest Division I field hockey coach, will be looking to continue building on the ODU tradition that includes nine national titles.
Old Dominion will be led by senior midfielder Kathleen Shea, who finished the 2008 season with five goals and was a First-Team All-CAA selection. Goalkeeper Kelly Driscoll also returns for her senior season after leading the CAA with 7.3 saves per game and posting four shutouts a year ago.
Four Lady Monarchs also gained valuable experience competing at the 2009 Women's National Championships. Driscoll, Hanna Warren, Shea and Stephanie Kratzer all took part in the round-robin tournament featuring the top athletes from USA Field Hockey's six regional High Performance Centers.
In addition to returning a wealth of experience, the Lady Monarchs also welcome back a plethora of young talent. Loran Hatch will look to build off a solid sophomore season in which she led ODU with five assists and All-CAA Rookie selection Rachel Stream returns after ending 2008 second on the team in goals scored, points, shots and shots-on-goal.
Forwards
Experience will pave the way for the ODU forwards in 2009. Senior Anna Kern and junior Samantha Richardson are expected to lead the Lady Monarchs as both have seen significant playing time at the forward spot the last two years.
Kern has played in 35 career games and her teammates will certainly look to her for veteran leadership. Richardson, who has played in 36 career games and tallied five career goals, will once again see vast amounts of playing time at the forward spot. In 2008, Richardson appeared in 18 games, was fifth on the team in goals and totaled seven points on the season. She ranked first on the team in shot-on-goal percentage after getting all 10 shots on goal during the year.
Paige Clutter could also see some time at the forward and midfield positions as she transitions from playing back in 2008.
Midfield
Perhaps the position with the most depth for ODU is the midfield spot. Six returning players could see significant action and the addition of four freshman midfielders will allow the Lady Monarchs to have numerous options.
Seniors Kathleen Shea, Alyschia Conn and Katie Ueberroth will provide a solid foundation of veteran leadership and stellar on-field production. Shea tallied five goals, including two game-winners in 2008 to go along with a team-high five defensive saves. Conn contributed with four goals, ranking fourth on the squad, and Ueberroth added two goals and two assists during her junior campaign.
Juniors Loran Hatch and Amanda Bieber will also play larger roles in 2009. Hatch put up consistent numbers throughout the year, netting two-goals and dishing out five assists. Bieber played in all 23 games, scored three goals and totaled seven points on the year. Sophomore Kathryn Kirk could also see significant action at both the midfield and forward positions.
Kimberly Oakes, Julie Hodge, Christy Longacre and Danielle Clutter are among the rookies that could garner playing time and contribute immediately.
Defense
Senior Hanna Warren will anchor the Lady Monarchs backfield in 2009. Last season, Warren started all 23 of ODU's games and she performed at the highest levels. She tied for the team-lead with five assists and made three defensive saves, ranking fifth best in the CAA.
Sophomore Rachel Stream, who was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team in 2008, will contribute heavily to the defense this season. Stream ranked second on the team in goals scored, points, shots and shots-on goal a year ago. She saw action in 22 games and started 15 for the Lady Monarchs. During her freshman campaign, Stream netted five goals and added an assists for 11 total points.
Junior Stephanie Kratzer and sophomore Charmain Schrader will provide depth in the backfield. The two played in a combined 32 games last season and Kratzer registered two defensive saves.
Goalkeeper
Bolstered by the return of senior Kelly Driscoll, the goalkeeper spot seems to be position with the most experience and stability. Driscoll has played nearly every minute over the last three years, including each and every second of the 2008 season. She was a First Team All-CAA selection during her first two years at ODU and she garnered second team honors last season. The West Chester, Pa. native has registered 363 career saves and owns 24 career shutouts.
Last season was arguably Driscoll's best, posting a career-high 168 saves, while maintaining a 1.90 goals against average. She won 10 games and saved 80 percent of the 210 shots she faced. After ranking first in the CAA in both total saves and saves per game, she was elected to the All-Region Second Team.
Old Dominion will also have depth at the goalkeeper position as both Marla Petriello and Devon Seifert return for their sophomore seasons. The Lady Monarchs also welcome freshman keeper Aria Gillespie, who registered 12 shutouts for Haddonfield Memorial High School in 2008.
The Schedule
The 2009 schedule continues the ODU tradition of challenging itself both in and out of conference play. The slate features 11 home contests and home-and-away series with defending national champion Maryland, as well as perennial powerhouses North Carolina and Duke. In all, the Lady Monarchs will face nine opponents ranked in last year's final National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) poll and take on eight 2008 NCAA Tournament participants.
Old Dominion kicks off the season for the fifth year in a row against Penn State. The Lady Lions will be the first of four home games for the Lady Monarchs. Villanova, Maryland and Virginia will all come to the Powhatan Sports Complex to begin the year. In addition to Maryland, both Penn State and Virginia were featured in the 2008 final rankings.
The Lady Monarchs follow their four-game homestand with a pair of weekend road trips. Old Dominion travels to New York for a meeting with final four participant, Syracuse, followed by a neutral site contest with Michigan State. The Orange lost just one game last year en-route to its first Final Four appearance, while Michigan State concluded the 2008 season at No. 10 in the rankings. The next weekend, the Lady Monarchs travel to North Carolina for the first of two meetings with UNC and Duke. Old Dominion takes on the Tar Heels, who were No. 7 in the poll at the close of last season, and then travels up the road to face the Blue Devils, a squad that ended the year at No. 8 in the rankings.
The CAA portion of the 2009 schedule gets underway on Friday, September 25th with a matchup against Northeastern. The Huskies will be one of four conference teams to travel to the Powhatan Sports Complex as ODU also hosts Drexel, Hofstra and William & Mary. The Lady Monarchs will travel to Delaware, Towson, VCU and James Madison for ODU's four road CAA contests.
ODU will host Boston University and conclude a pair of home-and-away series against Maryland and Duke in the middle of conference play. The Lady Monarchs head to College Park to meet up with the Terps and return home to close out the series with Duke. The 2009 CAA Tournament will run from Nov. 7-8 at the top seeds home turf.