Oct. 1, 2009
The Old Dominion field hockey team will play its first Colonial Athletic Association road games of the season this weekend. The Lady Monarchs, ranked No. 12 in the latest NFHCA poll, have won three straight games overall. ODU will take on Delaware, which has won seven consecutive games, on Friday and then travel to Towson for a Sunday matchup against the Tigers.
GAME NOTES
MOVING UP THE RANKINGS
The Old Dominion field hockey team moved up to No. 12 in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll, released Tuesday. The Lady Monarchs received 406 total points and are one of three Colonial Athletic Association teams to be ranked. Old Dominion remained at No. 9 in this week's womensfieldhockey.com poll. The Lady Monarchs are the highest ranked CAA team in this poll.
PERFECT WEEKEND
The 12th-ranked Lady Monarchs were victorious in both games this past week, downing Northeastern 3-1 in the CAA opener, and coming back to defeat Boston University, 2-1, in overtime. Senior midfielder Katie Ueberroth played a major role in the Lady Monarchs going 2-0 last week, recording a career-high three assists in Friday's win over Northeastern. She also sent Sunday's contest against the Terriers into overtime with her goal in 63rd minute to tie the game at one-apiece. Junior midfielder Loran Hatch scored in each of ODU's wins, including the game-winner in double overtime against BU. Senior goalkeeper Kelly Driscoll recorded eight saves last week, seven of which came against the Terriers.
TOUGH SLATE
The National Field Hockey Coaches Association has released its strength of schedule rankings and the Lady Monarchs rank No. 2. In total, ODU has played seven ranked teams, including six in the Top 10. Old Dominion has fared well against its ranked opponents thus far, picking up wins against Penn State and on the road against Duke. Additionally, ODU boasts a No. 7 ranking in the RPI. In all, the Lady Monarchs face nine opponents ranked in last year's final NFHCA poll and take on eight 2008 NCAA Tournament participants.
MONARCHS HOLD THE EDGE
Old Dominion has dominated the all-time series against both Delaware and Towson. The Lady Monarchs hold an 8-1-1 advantage against the Blue Hens in a series dating back to 1981. ODU has never lost the Tigers in eight all-time meetings.
SCOUTING DELAWARE
The University of Delaware field hockey team won its seventh straight game Sunday, topping No. 14 James Madison, 2-1. It's the first time UD has won seven consecutive games since the 2007 season. Delaware, which is now 7-2 overall and 2-0 in the CAA, has opened conference play with two victories for the first time since the 2006 season. The Blue Hens are guided by senior Casey Howard, who was named the National Player of the Week by WomensFieldHockey.com on Wednesday. During UD's two games against Virginia Commonwealth and No. 14 James Madison, Howard blasted two goals to lead the team to a pair of crucial victories.
A LOOK AT TOWSON
The Tigers played their first nine games of the season on the road and compiled a 3-6 record. Mariah Schuette paces Towson with seven points on three goals and as assist. Jamie Dowling has been solid in goal, recording 35 saves and posting a 2.52 goals against average.
UEBERROTH SETTING CAREER MARKS
Senior midfielder Katie Ueberroth set new career-high's in both goals and assists in back-to-back games this season. Ueberroth netted her first career hat trick on Sept. 20 as the Lady Monarchs picked up a 3-2 overtime road win against No. 10 Duke. Ueberroth scored goals in each half and then tallied the game-winner in overtime to give ODU its second win over a team ranked No. 11 or better this season. The senior then followed that up with a three assist performance against Northeastern on Sept. 25.
DRISCOLL IN GOAL
Old Dominion goalkeeper Kelly Driscoll tied her career-high with 14 saves against Duke on Sept. 20. She also posted 13 saves against No. 2 UNC on Sept. 18. Her 27 save weekend is the most in a two-game stretch in her career.
SCORING IN BUNCHES
Old Dominion's seven goals against Villanova were the most scored by the Lady Monarchs since an 8-1 victory over Radford in 2007. Five different ODU players tallied goals and five different players dished out assists against the Wildcats. The Lady Monarchs offense produced a balanced attack with 12 shots in each half, including 14 total shots-on-goal. ODU also dominated in penalty corner opportunities, garnering 10 to Villanova's four attempts.
PRESEASON HONORS
Senior Kathleen Shea was selected to the Preseason All-CAA Field Hockey Team, the league announced. The midfielder scored five goals and had a CAA-best five defensive saves in 2008. Shea, a First Team All-CAA selection in 2008, started all 23 games for the Lady Monarchs a year ago. She netted two game-winning goals, placed 14 of her 23 shots on goal and ranked second on the team in total goals and game-winning goals. The midfielder was ranked third on the squad in shots and points.
CAA BRAGGING RIGHTS
Old Dominion was picked to win the 2009 CAA field hockey title in a vote of the league's nine head coaches. The Lady Monarchs received six first-place votes and 62 total points, edging out second-place James Madison.
NATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Four Lady Monarchs also gained valuable experience competing at the 2009 Women's National Championships. Kelly Driscoll, Hanna Warren, Kathleen 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.