Oct. 23, 2012
MIDWEEK RUNDOWN
Wednesday, Oct. 24 - 5:00 p.m.
#9 Old Dominion (12-4) vs. William and Mary (10-6)
L.R. Hill Sports Complex - Norfolk, Va.
Wednesday Live Stats: Gametracker
Wednesday Live Video: ODUSports.com (subscription required)
- MONARCH MEDIA Game of the Week with Ted Alexander (play-by-play)
NORFOLK, Va. – The ninth-ranked Old Dominion University field hockey team hosts the first of three games in five days beginning Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex when they take on William & Mary in a non-conference match.
#700
Wednesday's game will mark the 700th career game on the sideline for head coach Beth Anders who is set to retire at the end of the 2012 season. She has amassed a career record of 558-134-7 (.803) and won an NCAA-record nine national titles. Anders has guided ODU to an NCAA-record 17 championship round appearances and her 558 wins are the most in NCAA Division I history. Old Dominion has made the NCAA Tournament in 27 of her 29 seasons as head coach and Anders has seen 16 of her former players go on to play in five Olympic games.
OPTIMA HEALTH CHALLENGE
Wednesday is the second meeting between Old Dominion and William and Mary in athletic competition in the 2012-13 school year. Sponsored by Hampton Roads based Optima Health, the trophy will be presented annually to the school which accumulates the most points in head-to-head competitions in all sports. The field hockey teams meet twice this week (Wednesday in Norfolk and Sunday in Williamsburg). In the first meeting of the season, the Tribe defeated the Monarchs in men's soccer, 2-1.
LAST TIME OUT
Old Dominion shut down James Madison on Sunday, 2-0, in Harrisonburg. The Dukes were limited to just one shot through the first 65 minutes of the contest before they managed three shots and three penalty corners in the final five minutes of the contest. Freshman forward Sarah Breen scored in the 14th minute off a penalty corner and was assisted by sophomore Rosario Villagra and Kelsey Smither. Redshirt junior co-captain Christy Longacre scored off a penalty corner in the 54th minute on the second assist of the day from Smither.
It was the second shutout of the season for redshirt senior goalkeeper Marla Petriello and it marks the second time in the last three conference games that ODU has held an opponent to four shots or less as Towson took just one shot on Oct. 5 in an 11-0 win by the Lady Monarchs.
RANKED LADY MONARCHS
ODU is ranked ninth in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. The Lady Monarchs have been ranked in the top-10 for 19 consecutive weeks dating back to last season.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
The Lady Monarchs continue to distribute the ball well offensively this season with 11 different players having scored a goal. Breen leads the team with 12 goals while Villagra and Longacre have added nine each. Smither leads the team with 10 assists with Villagra adding eight assists. In goal, Petriello has allowed 19 goals in 12 starts and has collected 41 saves this season while posting a goals against average of 1.66.
SCOUTING THE TRIBE
William & Mary (10-6) comes in having dropped four of their last five contests. The Tribe's lone win in that time came in overtime at home against Towson, 4-3. Senior Christine Johnson leads the offense with seven goals and five assits while sophomore Emma Clifton has added six goals and four assists and freshman Pip Saunders has tallied five goals and five assits. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Elizabeth Frey has just 13 goals against her on the season for a 1.41 average and has collected 34 saves.
Old Dominion leads the all-time series with William & Mary, 41-12, and the Lady Monarch have won the last eight meetings. The last win in the series for the Tribe came in 2004 with a 2-1 win in Williamsburg. ODU defeated W&M in Norfolk last season, 2-0.
STAY CONNECTED
Follow Old Dominion Field Hockey on Twitter
Become a fan of ODU Field Hockey on Facebook
Follow Old Dominion Athletics on Twitter
Become a fan of ODU Athletics on Facebook