Oct. 22, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. -- The ODU Lady Monarch soccer team will play host to the Towson Tigers (7-9-1, 3-5-0) on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. The Lady Monarchs are home for the final three games of the season, still seeking their first home conference win this year. ODU is 7-6-4 overall and 3-2-3 in league play this season including an 0-1-2 mark at home.
ODU is coming off a terrific road swing against the cream of the conference. Old Dominion went 2-1-1 on a four-game road trip with games against the three teams atop the standings. ODU defeated first place Hofstra, 2-1, lost to second place James Madison, 2-0, and tied Northeastern 1-1, as well as earning a 1-0 victory over VCU.
Towson is also coming off a successful weekend, earning a pair of one-goal victories last week. Towson defeated Delaware 2-1 in comeback fashion before dropping Drexel by a count of 4-3 in overtime.
The Tigers are led by senior Erica Marshall, who has scored nine goals and added three assists this season for 21 points. Towson also has nine points apiece from Phyllicia Rossellli and Cheyenne Skidmore. Four different players have logged minutes in goal for Towson this season, with Kristen Sample starting nine games with a 1.11 goals against average and Jocelyn Papciak starting seven with a 1.77 goals against average.
Old Dominion has been strong defensively behind the efforts of rookie goalkeeper Bri Alvarado. The true freshman ranks third in goals against average, allowing just 0.78 goals per contest. She is also fifth in the league in save percentage at over an 80% clip. As a team, ODU ranks third in goals allowed average this season and has posted six shutouts including four at the ODU Soccer Stadium.
Offensively, the Lady Monarchs have seen a stellar first year from Ashlee Coutu, tied for second in the league in game-winning goals and tied for fourth in points (22) and goals (9). Sophomore Victoria Johnson has moved up to a tie for sixth all time in career assists with her six helpers this season.
Against Towson, ODU has struggled of late, and trails the all-time series 3-5. Last season, ODU traveled to Towson and lost on a penalty kick with just three seconds remaining.
Kick off will be at 7:00 p.m. and live stats will be available here.