NEW YORK – The Old Dominion field hockey team has been selected to finish second in this year’s BIG EAST Field Hockey Preseason Poll, which was released by the league office on Wednesday morning.
Connecticut, the 2013 National Champions, garnered the top spot with five first-place votes and 25 points. The Lady Monarchs finished second with 21 points, along with the final first-place tally, while Temple rounded out the Top 3 with 16 total points. Providence (14), Villanova (9) and Georgetown (5) completed the poll.
The Lady Monarchs, who completed the 2013 season ranked sixth in the NFHCA poll, return 15 players from last year’s team that finished 13-8 overall and 6-1 in league play. ODU fell to Connecticut, 1-0, in the 2013 BIG EAST title game, but received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where it dropped an unexpected 3-2 decision to Wake Forest in the first round.
Among the top returnees for the Lady Monarchs are seniors Rosario Villagra and Kelsey Smither. Villagra was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team and was also picked to repeat as the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. Smither was also selected on the preseason all-conference squad for the second-consecutive season.
Villagra returns as the team’s top goal scorer, after notching 14 tallies last season. She finished the year as the squad’s top point getter with 41 points, which also ranked third in the conference. At the end of the year, Villagra was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, as well as to the All-BIG EAST First Team, VaSID All-State First Team and the NFHCA All-Region Team.
Smither also earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors as a midfielder after finishing last season with 16 points on one goal and a team as well as a conference-leading 14 assists. Her assist total was also ranked fourth in the nation. As a junior, she was named to the NFHCA All-Region Team, VaSID All-State First Team and was a Second Team All-America honoree.
Sarah Breen is also welcomed back to the program after being named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team, earning her second career all-conference honor last season. She tallied 27 points as a midfielder, with 12 goals and three assists.
ODU opens the 2014 season next Friday, Aug. 29 with a road game against Penn State at 5:00 p.m. The Lady Monarchs return to Norfolk for the home opener on Sept. 5 against Wake Forest for a 5:00 p.m. contest.
Follow Old Dominion Field Hockey on Twitter at twitter.com/ODUFieldHockey and find them on Facebook at facebook.com/ODUFH.
2014 BIG EAST Field Hockey Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Connecticut (5) * 25
2. Old Dominion (1) 21
3. Temple 16
4. Providence 14
5. Villanova 9
6. Georgetown 5
2014 Field Hockey Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year – Rosario Villagra, Old Dominion
Preseason Defensive Players of the Year – Roisin Upton, Connecticut *
Forwards
Chloe Hunnable, Sr., Connecticut *
Rosario Villagra, Sr., Old Dominion *
Amber Youtz, Sr., Temple *
Midfielders
Roisin Upton, Jr., Connecticut *
Chrissy Davidson, Sr., Connecticut *
Kelsey Smither, Sr., Old Dominion *
Caitlin Malone, GS, Providence *
Backs
Henni Tietze, Sr., Providence *
Maddy Harding, Sr., Villanova
Goalkeeper
Lizzy Millen, Sr., Temple *
* Denotes unanimous selection