NORFOLK, Va. – The No. 15 Old Dominion women’s field hockey team (7-6, 4-1 in the Big East) faces off against non-conference opponents William & Mary this Friday at 5:00 p.m. and travels to No. 1 Maryland this Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
ODU has won six consecutive games dating back to the September 22 neutral site victory over Michigan State (3-1). The Lady Monarchs have shutout their previous four opponents and outscored them by a combined 21-0. Old Dominion is one of only three teams (Robert Morris, No. 13 Stanford) to have four straight shutouts this season. The last time a Lady Monarchs field hockey team recorded four straight shutouts was October 7, 2007.
The Lady Monarchs game against William & Mary Friday is a charity’s game for pancreatic cancer. The team will be wearing purple socks. Fans are encouraged to wear purple and can visit this link to donate- www.pancan.org.
Sophomore goalkeeper Megan Hept was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week. Junior forward Rosario Villagra was named to the Big East Honor Roll for the third straight week.
"Our schedule is really exciting over the next couple of weeks,” said ODU head coach Andrew Griffiths. "ODU has a good rivalry with William & Mary in recent years and they are coming off a big win over No. 6 Virginia – so we are preparing for a tough game! And then we play the top-3 ranked teams in the country consecutively. It’s exciting for us to look at this stretch of games – we want to be the best, so the way to get there is to play the best."
Weekend Preview:
No. 15 Lady Monarchs Against William & Mary Friday 5:00 p.m.
Where: Norfolk, L.R. Hill Sports Complex
Series Record: ODU Leads 43-12
William & Mary Players to Watch: Redshirt Sophomore goalkeeper Cate Johnson and sophomore forward Pippin Saunders. Johnson was named CAA Defensive Player of the Week for her career-high eight save performance against then No. 5 Virginia. Saunders leads the team with six goals and 19 points. Saunders registered one goal and an assist this past weekend in the Wildcats 2-1 upset road victory over No. 6 Virginia.
Last Meeting: Oct. 27, 2012 – ODU defeated William & Mary in overtime from Williamsburg. Christy Longacre and Villagra, who each scored a goal, led the Lady Monarchs. Villagra’s goal in overtime lifted ODU to their second win on the year against the Tribe.
No. 15 Lady Monarchs Against No. 1 Maryland Sunday 1 p.m.
Where: College Park, Md.
Series Record: UM Leads 26-23-1
Maryland Players to Watch: Senior forward Jill Witmer and redshirt freshman Emma Rissinger. Witmer tallied two goals in the Terrapins 3-1 win against Princeton and one goal in the 2-0 win against American. This past weekend Rissinger also had one goal in each of those two games.
Last Meeting: Sept. 6, 2013 –Maryland defeated Old Dominion from the L.R. Hill Sports Complex 3-0. Anna Dessoye led the Terrapins with two goals on eight shots.
GAME COVERAGE
Live stats and live video of Friday's game will be available at-
http://www.odusports.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?SPID=127312&db_oem_id=31100
Live stats of Sunday’s game at Maryland will be available by clicking-
http://www.umterps.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?SPID=120737&DB_OEM_ID=29700&LIST_SPORT__FIELD_HOCKEY
Live video of Sunday’s game can be viewed by clicking this link-
http://www.umterps.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?SPID=120737&db_oem_id=29700
ODU By the Numbers:
4: Big East teams in the NFHCA Rankings (#2 Uconn, #15 ODU, #16 Temple, #17 Louisville)
3: Old Dominion is ranked third in the Big East in: Scoring average, Shots, Shots per game, Goals scored/game, Goals allowed/game
2: ODU is currently second in the Big East Standings:
Connecticut 12-1, 4-0 (Big East)
ODU 7-6, 4-1 (Big East)
Louisville 10-4, 3-1 (Big East)
Temple 10-4, 3-2 (Big East)
1: The Lady Monarchs are the only team in the NCAA that has to play No. 1 Maryland, No. 2 Connecticut and No. 3 North Carolina in three straight games. ODU’s RPI is currently 16 in the NCAA because they have played seven ranked teams so far.
0-11: Big East record against the ACC
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