Nov. 9, 2012
NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUND RUNDOWN
Saturday, Nov. 10 - 2:00 p.m.
#8 Old Dominion (14-5) vs. #9 Michigan (15-6)
Francis E. Henry Stadium - Chapel Hill, N.C.
Sunday, Nov. 11 - 1:00 p.m.
ODU/Michigan winner vs. #16 Stanford/#1 North Carolina winner
Saturday Live Stats: Gametracker
Saturday Live Audio: GoHeels.com
ODU Game Notes
NORFOLK, Va. - The Old Dominion University field hockey team takes on Michigan at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Francis E. Henry Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Old Dominion is making their 30th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2012, the most of any school in NCAA history. The Lady Monarch hold the record in NCAA Division I with nine national championships, 649 wins in program history, 69 NCAA games played and 17 NCAA Championship Round appearances. The Lady Monarchs are 49-20 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
The Wolverines are 15-6 on the season and finished second in the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan is making their 11th overall and third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. UM owns a 14-8 record in NCAA Tournament play. Junior forward Rachel Mack leads the offense with 18 goals and seven assists for a total of 43 points. Redshirt sophomore back Leslie Smith and senior midfielder Liesl Morris each have added 12 assists. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Haley Jones has allowed 29 goals in 21 games for a 1.44 goals against average with 112 saves and six shutouts on the year.Michigan has faced six ranked teams this season with their lone win coming against #21 Albany, 2-1.
Beth Anders
Beth Anders, who will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2012 season, has a career record of 560-135-7 (.803) in 30 years at ODU and has won an NCAA-record nine national titles and 15 CAA titles. Her 560 wins are the most all-time among NCAA Division I coaches.
SERIES HISTORY
Old Dominion leads the all-time series with Michigan, 7-4. The two teams last met in 2010 in the NCAA Tournament First Round at UNC with the Lady Monarchs coming out on top, 1-0. ODU is 2-0 all-time against Michigan in the NCAA Tournament.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
The Lady Monarchs continue to distribute the ball well offensively this season with 12 different players having scored a goal. Freshman Sarah Breen and sophomore Rosario Villagra lead the team with 12 goals while redshirt junior co-catain Christy Longacre has added 10 goals. Sophomore Kelsey Smither leads the team with 11 assists with Villagra and Breen have added eight assists.
RANKED LADY MONARCHS
ODU is ranked eighth in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. The Lady Monarchs have been ranked in the top-10 for 21 consecutive weeks dating back to last season.
ALL-CAA ACCOLADES
Beth Anders added to her already legendary list of accomplishments with her 12th CAA Coach of the Year award and second consecutive year earning the honor. She guided the Lady Monarchs to their 14th CAA regular season title and their 15th undefeated conference record with a 7-0 mark.
Christy Longacre became the seventh ODU player to be named CAA Defensive Player of the Year and the third straight year the honor has gone to a Lady Monarch. The redshirt junior back was a key component in a Lady Monarchs’ defense that allowed just seven goals in seven CAA contests and recorded two shutouts. Longacre ranks second in the conference with three defensive saves. The team co-captain also made her presence felt on the ODU offense on penalty corners, ranking second on the team with 10 goals while adding four assists.
Freshman forward Sarah Breen, junior midfielder Kati Nearhouse and redshirt junior back Christy Longacre were named to the All-CAA First Team while sophomore back Kelsey Smither was named All-CAA Second Team.
FIVE WINS OVER RANKED FOES
The Lady Monarchs have defeated five ranked opponents this season (#25 American, #1 Maryland, #17 Duke, #8 Northeastern and #18 Drexel) including a pair of top-10 opponents. They have faced 10 ranked opponents total in their 19 games this year (7 on the road).
NCAA SEMIFINALS AND TITLE GAME IN NORFOLK
The NCAA Tournament semifinals will take place at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16th and Sunday, Nov. 18th at 1 p.m. All games will be play at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex in Norfolk. Tickets are available at ncaa.com/tickets and media credential requests are now being taken at ncaa.com/media.
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