NORFOLK, Va. – The No. 10 Old Dominion women’s field hockey team (9-6, 4-1) plays No. 4 Connecticut (13-2, 5-0) this Friday at 12:00 p.m. and face No. 2 North Carolina this Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
ODU’s game against Connecticut will be a key game to decide the Big East regular season champion, which has three teams separated by just one game. The Lady Monarchs are on an eight game win streak, which is the longest in the Big East and is the second longest winning streak in the current NFHCA top-20 behind Penn State (10). It is worth noting that Old Dominion has outscored their previous eight opponents by a combined 33-4 and have moved into the top-10 in the NCAA RPI.
Meanwhile, this Sunday’s game against North Carolina is senior day. Senior backs Christy Longacre and Danielle Clutter will briefly be honored before the game.
This is a big weekend for ODU as they play two ranked teams at home. “We just have to play our game and build from the Maryland performance,” said Clutter.
After a four-goal weekend, junior forward Rosario Villagra was named Big East Offensive Player of the Week. “We can’t play this weekend thinking that beating the No. 1 team in the nation was good enough for us to get where we want to be,” exclaimed Villagra.
Weekend Preview:
No. 10 Lady Monarchs (9-6, 4-1) vs. No. 4 Connecticut 13-2 (5-0) Friday 12:00 p.m.
Where: Norfolk, L.R. Hill Sports Complex
Series Record: ODU Leads 23-10
Huskie Report: Connecticut goes into Friday’s game having lost 4-3 on the road to American. The Huskies other 4-3 loss came at the hands of Boston College. In UConn’s 13 wins, they have outscored those opponents by a combined 50-11. The Huskies are led by four scorers that have 27 or more points.
Connecticut Players to Watch: Senior forward Marie Elena Bolles, senior goalkeeper Sarah Mansfield and junior forward Chloe Hunnable. Bolles scored eight straight points for the second straight week and was named to the Big East Honor Roll. She began the season being named Big East preseason offensive player of the year, registered three goals this past weekend in UConn’s 5-0 win over Georgetown and added two assists in the 4-3 upset loss at American. Mansfield (Big East Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year) has a 1.23 goals-against-average and leads the conference with six shutouts. Hunnable leads the team with 15 goals and 34 points. Hunnable tallied one goal this past weekend in the Huskies 4-3 loss to American.
Last Meeting: Sept. 8, 2007 – ODU fell 3-2 to Connecticut from Norfolk. Titia Beek and Kathleen Shea each scored a goal to lead the Lady Monarchs. However, Huskie Lizzy Peijs’ goal in the second half lifted the Huskies to a victory.
No. 15 Lady Monarchs vs. No. 2 North Carolina Sunday 1 p.m.
Where: Norfolk, L.R. Hill Sports Complex
Series Record: UNC Leads 40-34-2
Tar Heel Report: North Carolina comes into Wednesday’s game against Longwood (UNC leads 3-0) having won four in a row (two against ranked opponents Boston College and Wake Forest) and outscored those four opponents by a combined 23-4. Their lone two losses came either in overtime or on penalty strokes. UNC is very balanced as eight players have over 13 points on the season.
North Carolina Players to Watch: Sophomore midfielder Emma Bozek and sophomore forward Casey Di Nardo. Bozek tallied two goals in the last meeting against ODU and added one goal in the 5-2 win against Boston College. This past weekend Di Nardo (leads UNC with 10 goals) had three goals in the 10-0 win over Davidson and two goals in the game against Boston College.
Last Meeting: Sept. 13, 2013 –UNC defeated Old Dominion from Chapel Hill 3-0. Emma Bozek led the Tar Heels with two goals on three shots. The Tar Heels outshot the Lady Monarchs 17-6.
GAME COVERAGE
Both home games are Monarch Media Games of the Week and available for viewing at odusports.com. ODU Sports Properties Ted Alexander and Katelyn Smither (ODU '11) will call Friday's game against Connecticut. Alexander will join ODU Hall of Famer Kathy Fosina Mustain (ODU '92) to call the North Carolina match.
Live stats of both games will be available at-
Live video of both games can be viewed by clicking this link-
http://www.odusports.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?SPID=127312&db_oem_id=31100
BIG EAST Current Standings:
Big East Overall
(4) Connecticut 5-0 13-2
(14) Louisville* 4-1 12-4
(10) Old Dominion* 4-1 9-6
(17) Temple 3-2 12-4
Rutgers 2-3 9-6
Providence 2-3 7-7
Villanova 0-5 3-10
Georgetown 0-5 2-13
Sunday's game against North Carolina is also the Championship Effort game for ODU fall sports. The Championship Effort games are a school spirit contest that also feature team community service component among ODU's 18 sports.
*Louisville owns the current tiebreaker.
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