Oct. 22, 2009
NORFOLK, Va. -The Old Dominion field hockey team returns to Colonial Athletic Association play this weekend with a pair of critical games. The Lady Monarchs will travel to Virginia Commonwealth on Friday for a 4 p.m. game before taking on No. 9 James Madison on Sunday at 1 p.m. The matchup with JMU will be ODU's eighth game against a Top 10 opponent this season.
GAME NOTES
LAST WEEKEND FOR ODU:
The Lady Monarchs completed their home-and-home series against ACC foes Maryland and Duke last week. ODU (6-10, 2-3 CAA) fell at No. 1 Maryland 6-3 and dropped a home decision to No. 14 Duke, 3-1. Senior midfielder Katie Ueberroth had four assists for the Lady Monarchs, tallying three against the Terrapins and one against the Blue Devils. Junior midfielder Loran Hatch scored twice against the Terps and now has seven goals on the season.
UEBERROTH DISHING IT OUT:
Senior Katie Ueberroth has a league-leading 10 assists this season, tied with Drexel's Carolina Gibernau.Ueberroth had four assists for the Lady Monarchs last weekend, tallying three against Maryland and one against Duke. She has dished out three assists in a game twice this season to set a new career-high.
LONG TIME FOES:
Old Dominion has been battling current conference rivals James Madison and Virginia Commonwealth since the 1970's. In a series dating back to 1974, ODU holds a 38-4 all-time record against VCU. Against the Dukes, the Lady Monarchs have a 46-10 ledger in a series dating back to 1979.
SCOUTING JAMES MADISON:
The Dukes enter this weekend ranked No. 9 nationally. JMU boasts a 10-5 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the CAA. JMU fell last week in its only match, a 2-0 decision to No. 2 North Carolina. Senior goalkeeper Kelsey Cutchins made 10 saves for the Dukes and is now just 67 minutes shy for the most career minutes played in program history. The loss to the undefeated Tar Heels snapped a five-match win streak for the Dukes.
A LOOK AT THE RAMS:
ODU will travel to VCU Friday for a 4 p.m. contest. The Rams own a 8-7 overall record and a 1-4 mark in conference action. After winning their only game last week, 3-1 over Appalachian State, the Rams fell in double overtime to Richmond on Tuesday. Against Appalachian State, freshman forward/midfielder Hanna Lyerly provided the eventual game-winning tally for the Rams, who won their second-straight contest. Against the Rams, Richmond scored three consecutive goals to shock VCU, 3-2, in double overtime. Of VCU's 37 total goals this season, 18 have come from freshmen. With two more wins, the Rams will secure the program's first winning season since 2004.