Oct. 15, 2009
HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The ODU women's soccer team (6-5-4, 2-1-3) heads back on the road this weekend to conclude a huge four-game swing in conference play, starting with a game against James Madison University (7-6-1, 3-2-1). ODU went 1-0-1 in the first half of the difficult road trip, including a win over first place Hofstra University, and will also face VCU this weekend.
JMU has 10 points in the CAA standings, while ODU has nine, meaning a win would vault ODU ahead of the Dukes in the conference standings. With only four teams making the conference tournament in 2009, each game's value is magnified with just five left to play.
The Dukes are currently ranked 10th in the region according to the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic rankings. They are led by the CAA Pre-Season Player of the Year Corky Julien, whose 11 goals lead the league. Teresa Rynier leads the league in assists and is one of three Dukes with 12 points or more.
Old Dominion continues to be led by terrific defense. Seniors Brittney Kortz, Saratu Dodo and Samantha Brennan with sophomores Lisa Bernardini and Rachael Carroll have allowed one goal or fewer in 10 of the last 11 games. The team defense has allowed just 15 goals this season in 15 games.
In goal, freshman Bri Alvarado has played over 1200 minutes between the pipes and has a 0.75 goals against average, good for second in the league. She has four solo shutouts this season and has saved over 80% of shots on-goal.
Offensively, the Lady Monarchs have turned to rookie Ashlee Coutu. Her 20 points rank fourth in the CAA and leads Old Dominion. Sophomore Victoria Johnson leads the team with six assists and has already moved into a tie for sixth all-time at Old Dominion.
Game-time is set for 7:00 p.m. on Friday night with the weather forecast calling for low 30s and precipitation likely.