NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion field hockey team welcomes No. 4 Duke to the L.R. Hill Sports Complex Friday for a 3:00 p.m. non-conference matchup. The Lady Monarchs will also play host to Monmouth on Sunday. Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m.
Live Action
Fans who cannot make it to the L.R. Hill Sports Complex can watch the action live on Monarch Media (subscription required). Live stats will also be available for the contest and can be found on the Lady Monarchs schedule. Twitter updates will be available from @ODUFieldHockey.
Weekend Rewind
On Friday, the Lady Monarchs suffered an overtime loss to No. 11 Wake Forest. Despite leading 4-2 early in the second half, the Demon Deacons charged back and sent the game into overtime. Wake Forest secured the win with a goal just under 10 minutes into the overtime period.
The Lady Monarchs recovered from the loss, however, and defeated the Liberty Flames, 2-1, on Sunday. Victoria Rezette and Katy Fuhrman each tallied a goal for ODU, while Megan Byas notched an assist. For her efforts over the weekend, Byas was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week.
Megan Hept played in goal for the Lady Monarchs and recorded 13 saves over the weekend, including sending a pentalty stroke against Liberty wide of the cage. She has tallied 19 saves on the year to go along with a 2.17 goals-against average and a .679 save percentage.
Series Record vs. Duke
Old Dominion holds a 24-14 lead in the all-time series, averaging a .631 winning percentage against the Blue Devils. The series dates back to the 1980 season, with ODU’s last win coming in 2012. Duke defeated the Lady Monarchs last season by a score of 1-0. Of Old Dominion’s 24 wins against Duke, two of them are by a margin of seven goals. The Lady Monarchs defeated the Blue Devils 7-0 in their season opener in 1998 and also 8-1 in 2002.
Scouting the Blue Devils
Duke enters the game with a perfect 4-0 record, marking the program’s best start to a season since 2006. Last weekend, the Blue Devils posted two shutouts, claiming victories over No. 7 Princeton (1-0) and Temple (3-0). Against No. 7 Princeton, junior midfielder Aileen Johnson tipped the ball into the cage for the game-winner in the 58th minute. For the contest, the Blue Devils outshot Princeton 20-4 and held a 14-4 advantage in penalty corners. Ashley Kristen, Jessica Buttinger and Alexa Mackintire each notched a goal against Temple, while Heather Morris and Johnson tallied an assist. The Blue Devils again outshot their opponent, this time by a margin of 17-11.
Buttinger leads Duke’s offense with six points off of three goals. Johnson is not far behind, claiming five points on one goal and three assists. Ainsley Gill is tied with Johnson for second on the team in points. She has notched two goals and one assist to total five points. Lauren Blazing has played the entirety in goal for the Blue Devils, making 16 saves in 295 minutes of action. She has recorded a .47 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage. Her goals-against average ranks second in the country, while her save percentage is fourth.
Series Record vs. Monmouth
Old Dominion has never faced the Monmouth field hockey team. Last season, the Hawks notched a 6-12 overall record and went 3-3 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. The team finished the season tied for fourth in the conference and did not make it to postseason play.
Scouting the Hawks
The Hawks enter with a 2-2 record after going 1-1 last weekend. Monmouth lost to Lafayette, 3-1, on Friday, but bounced back to defeat Lehigh, 3-1, on Sunday. Senior Amanda Schoenfeld was the only player to score against Lafayette even though the team registered 10 shots throughout the game. The Leopards outshot the Hawks 14-10, while Monmouth held a 10-6 edge in penalty corners. Trish O’Dwyer led the Hawks’ offense against Lehigh, tallying three points on one goal and an assist. Alyssa Ercolino and Meg Donahue also netted a goal for Monmouth. Christen Piersanti finished the game with an impressive eight saves in 35 minutes, while Amanda Westerweller stopped four shots in her time in goal.
Ercolino leads the team with seven points on the season on three goals and an assist. Donahue, O’Dwyer and Maartje Wicherlink are all tied for second on the team with four points apiece. Piersanti has played the majority of time in net for the Hawks, making 18 saves over the season. She has registered a 2.00 goals-against average and a .720 save percentage. Her save percentage ranks 37 in the country, while her goals-against average is tied for 36th.
Statistical Significance
The NCAA released its first national statistics rankings of the season and a few of the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs were represented in the top-50 of statistical categories. Junior keeper Megan Hept ranks 43rd in the county in goals-against average (2.17) and 48th in save percentage (.679). She also ranks 35th nationally with 4.75 saves per game. Senior forward Katy Fuhrman is tied for 40th in the nation in goals per game (.75) with a total of three goals on the season. As a team, the Lady Monarchs rank 17th in the nation in defensive saves.
Byas Named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Sophomore midfielder Megan Byas has been named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her young career.
In a 1-1 week that included a 2-1 win at Liberty, Byas tallied two goals and an assist. She scored two goals in the 5-4 overtime loss against Wake Forest and helped assist the first goal of the game against Liberty. For the season, Byas currently ranks second on the team with five points, averaging 1.25 per game. Her point total also ranks seventh in the conference.
Nina Klein of Connecticut was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, while Emily Matthews of Providence, Tricia Light of Temple, Maddy Harding of Villanova and Anna Middendorf of Connecticut were named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll.
Up Next
The Lady Monarchs will travel to William and Mary next Friday for another non-conference matchup. After facing the Tribe, Old Dominion opens a three-game home stand, starting with Delaware on Sunday, Sept. 21.
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