Oct. 8, 2009
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- The ODU Lady Monarchs (5-5-3, 1-1-2) hit the road to kick off a tough Colonial Athletic Association swing away from Norfolk. The four-game stint begins Friday night at 7:00 p.m. against the league's only remaining unbeaten team, Hofstra University (7-3-1, 4-0-0). The Pride are atop the CAA standings with 12 points while ODU is locked in a tie for sixth with Delaware posting five points.
Hofstra's four-game winning streak and five-game unbeaten streak includes three straight shutouts against CAA opponents. The Pride posted a 1-0 victory over George Mason and a 3-0 blanking of Towson on the road last weekend.
ODU battled with Hofstra in a pair of tight contests last season. In the regular season, neither was able to light up the scoreboard in a fiesty defensive struggle, ending in a 0-0 tie at the ODU Soccer Stadium. Then, in the CAA Quarterfinals, Hofstra again traveled into Norfolk and though ODU posted a 2-0 lead, Hofstra would tie it up and eventually advance on penalty kicks in a 2-2 tie.
This season, Old Dominion has continued to be dominant defensively, allowing just one goal against per contest and posting five shutouts. However, the Lady Monarchs have struggled to score of late, posting just one goal or fewer in four of the last sixn games. Still, ODU has managed a 2-1-3 record in that span and will be looking to gain points in the standings this weekend.
Rookie forward Ashlee Coutu has led the way offensively for ODU and is among the leaders in the conference. Coutu has seven goals and 17 points so far this year, both team-highs and 4th in the CAA. She has also added three assists, tying her for second on the team. Senior Kirstin Walker has scored three goals this year and is tied for second on the team, with Victoria Johnson, with seven points.
In goal, ODU has been led by Cincinnati native Bri Alvarado. The freshman keeper has played over 1000 minutes in 11 starts, posting a 0.72 goals against average and a .784 save percentage.
Hofstra has scored 21 goals in its first 11 games, led by Salma Tarik scoring six and adding two assists for 14 points. Jess Crankshaw and Tiffany Yovino have also been go-to goal scorers, with nine and seven points apiece. Defensively, Krysten Farriella has started all 11 games for the Pride, but has allowed 20 goals for a 1.80 goals against average. In conference play, though, Farriella has allowed just two goals and has put up a pair of solo shutouts.
Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. (EST) at the Hofstra Soccer Stadium in Hempstead, New York. Live stats will be available here.
ODU will also travel to play Northeastern on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Stay tuned to odusports.com for more on that matchup.