NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion University women’s soccer team (0-6-1) will kick off their first season of Conference USA play with a pair of road games this weekend at Marshall (5-2-1) and Florida International (2-6). The Lady Monarchs will travel to Huntington, W.Va. on Friday night to take on Marshall (5-2-1) at 7:30 p.m. and will be back in action again on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Miami, Fla. against FIU. Old Dominion returns to action fresh off an exhilarating 2-2 tie against unbeaten Penn on Sunday at the ODU Sports Complex.
ODU's Last Match
After ODU’s Taylor Smith headed in a goal in the 36th minute of play to put the Monarchs up in the first half, junior midfielder Jessie Klamut kept the momentum rolling with a goal of her own just two minutes later. By the 38th minute, ODU found themselves ahead 2-0 over a Quakers team that had not yet surrendered a single goal in the season prior to Sunday’s match.
Penn quickly responded in the 42nd minute, however, as Lindsey Sawczuk received a combo-pass from Haley Cooper and Megan York, putting Penn on the scoreboard. At the half, the Lady Monarchs still held a 2-1 advantage.
But just 15 minutes into second half play, Penn’s Kerry Scalora scored off of a perfectly placed corner kick, knotting the score at two. Through the duration of the 2nd half and an additional two extra periods, neither team could break the deadlock, as the Lady Monarchs and Quakers battled to a 2-2 draw.
MARSHALL – Friday, September 27, 2013 – 7:30 p.m.
The Marshall Thundering Herd enter Friday’s matchup with a record of 5-2-1 and are looking to extend their winning streak to three after back-to-back 1-0 victories over Miami (OH) and Liberty, respectively. The Herd are led by sixth-year head coach Kevin Long, who looks to take his team to their first-ever C-USA tournament this season. Old Dominion and Marshall have never previously met in women’s soccer.
FIU – Sunday, September 29, 2013 – 1:00 p.m.
The FIU Panthers head into Sunday’s showdown with a 2-6 record and look to bounce back off a three-game losing skid. The Panthers were most recently upended by Jacksonville 2-1 on September 20. Head coach Thomas Chestnutt, who has been named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year twice since taking the reins in 2007, led his squad to an NCAA tournament appearance in 2011 following a conference championship. He has also churned out three seasons consisting of 11 wins or more. Old Dominion and FIU have met twice previously with each team splitting victories.
Be sure to keep up with all the latest news regarding ODU Women’s Soccer on Facebook and follow @ODUWomensSoccer on Twitter!