Sept. 22, 2011
NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion, the newly anointed No. 1 team in the country, returns home for the first time since September 4 to open Colonial Athletic Association play at the Powhatan Sports Complex this weekend.
The Lady Monarchs (8-0) will face Hofstra on Friday at 5 p.m. and then welcome No. 20 Northeastern on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Old Dominion is coming off a sweep of North Carolina and Duke this past weekend which left the Lady Monarchs as one of only two undefeated teams remaining in the country (New Hampshire).
Senior Emma Batten, who ranks seventh in the country in both points per game (2.88) and goals per game (1.25), was named the CAA Player of the Week for the third time on Tuesday.
As a team, Old Dominion ranks fourth nationally, giving up just 0.96 goals a game. Senior goalkeeper Devon Seifert has been solid between the cage, ranking fifth in the country in goals allowed per contest.
Hofstra is currently riding a four-game winning streak and sits with a 7-4 overall record in non-conference play. The Pride posted a 4-1 mark during a five-game homestand that concluded last Sunday with a 3-2 victory over No. 16 Albany.
Hofstra also posted wins over Columbia (4-2), Siena (10-0) and Albany (3-2) last week to give the Pride their best start after 11 games since 2008. Hofstra ranks fifth in the country in goals per game (4.18).
Northeastern boasts two of the top players in the league in Crystal Poland and Carolyn Malloy. Poland ranks first in the nation in points per game (3.63) and Malloy is fourth in the country with 1.00 assists per game.
The Huskies (5-3) have dropped there of their last four games after opening the season with four consecutive wins.
Fans not in attendance can watch the live stream of both contests via Monarch Media and get updates throughout the weekend by following @ODUFieldHockey on twitter.
Additionally, Sunday's contest will be Old Dominion University's Olympic Sports Game of the Week with Ted Alexander and former Lady Monarch Sami Richardson providing commentary and analysis.
-ODU-