NORFOLK, Va. – The 19th-ranked Old Dominion University field hockey team will take on the James Madison Dukes on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The Lady Monarchs are coming off a successful weekend where they defeated William and Mary and Delaware to record their third consecutive win.
Weekend Rewind
The Lady Monarchs picked up two wins last weekend, defeating William and Mary and Delaware. ODU took down W&M, 3-1, and followed that performance with a 2-1 overtime win against Delaware. The Lady Monarchs are currently on a three-game winning streak, which is tied for first in the BIG EAST.
Senior forward Rosario Villagra (Salta, Argentina) led the offense with three goals and one assist to total seven points over the weekend. She notched one goal and one assist against W&M and tallied both goals against Delaware, including the game-winning overtime score.
Junior keeper Megan Hept (Chesapeake, Va.) played in goal for ODU, recording nine saves over the weekend. She currently boasts a 1.47 goals-against average and a .714 save percentage. She ranks third in the BIG EAST in GAA and fourth in save percentage.
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.
Series Record vs. JMU
Old Dominion holds an impressive 51-10 (.836) advantage in the series with James Madison that dates back to 1979. JMU last defeated ODU, 3-0, during the 2008 season. Old Dominion has faced James Madison once in the NCAA tournament, as the Dukes took down the Lady Monarchs 1-0 in the first round in 1993.
Scouting JMU
James Madison enters the weekend with a 5-1 overall record after defeating Missouri State, 4-3, on Friday. Junior midfielder Taylor West scored a match-best two goals, including the golden goal late in the first overtime period. In addition to West's pair of tallies, junior midfielder Saskia Chelmowski scored once while adding one assist and junior forward Kristen Reitano netted the other JMU goal. Between the pipes, Sara Kraeutler earned her first collegiate victory (1-0) after coming in at the half and making three saves on five shots faced in 49:12.
Loes Stijntjes leads the Dukes’ offense with 15 points on seven goals and one assist, while West has tallied four goals and two assists to total 10 points on the season. Stijntjes ranks second in the CAA in points and first in goals, while ranking seventh in the nation in goals per game (1.17). Hannah George has played the majority of time in goal for the Dukes, recording 18 saves, a 1.42 goals-against average and a .720 save percentage in 344 minutes of action.
Welcome Back Christy
JMU head coach Christy Morgan was a phenomenal player at Old Dominion from 1982-85 under coaching legend Beth Anders. She is the only three-time All-American in ODU field hockey history, and is the only player in NCAA history to earn a spot on the all-tournament team four times. Morgan earned the sports top honor in 1985 as she was awarded the Broderick Cup, as being the nation's top female collegiate athlete.
During her four years, ODU won three consecutive NCAA national Championships from 1982-84. The Lady Monarchs rolled up a 75-4-2 record during that span. Morgan was named the ODU Female Athlete of the Year in 1984 and was a co-winner of the award in 1985.
Morgan completed her career as ODU's all-time leading scorer with 86 career goals and 133 career points. She is also the school's fifth all-time assist leader with 47. During her career at ODU, Morgan was a member of the World Cup team, an alternate on the 1984 United States Olympic squad and later a member of the 1988 United States Olympic team.
Defense Wins Championships
The Old Dominion Lady Monarchs’ defense has been nothing but impressive this season. They rank second in the BIG EAST in goals-against average (1.47), goals allowed per-game (1.50) and shutouts per-game (.13). The defense also ranks fourth in the conference for save percentage, recording a .721 mark. In the nation, the defense ranks 18th in GAA, 42nd in save percentage and 37th in shutouts per-game.
Did You Know?
ODU has been to the NCAA tournament 31 times since its first appearance in 1981, which marks the most appearances of any team in NCAA history. North Carolina is in second place with 30. Of those 31 appearances, the Lady Monarchs rolled up 27 in a row from 1981-2007 and they are 46-18 (.718) during that span. The 27 NCAA bids in a row is also the longest streak of any team that has made it to the tournament. Overall, ODU has notched a 50-22 (.694) overall record in the NCAA tournament.
BIG EAST Weekly Honors
Senior forward Rosario Villagra (Salta, Argentina) was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, while senior midfielder Kelsey Smither (Suffolk, Va.) was named to the Player of the Week Honor Roll.
Villagra has now been recognized two times in her career and was impressive in the offensive third over the weekend. First, she notched a goal and an assist, helping the team to a 3-1 win over William and Mary on Friday. She followed that performance scoring the only two goals in the 2-1 win against Delaware at home on Sunday. She notched the equalizer in the 29th minute and tallied the game-winning goal just 2:58 into the overtime period. For the week, she notched three goals on four shots on goal and dished out one assist to total seven points. She leads the team with 12 points on four goals and four assists. She also ranks third in the BIG EAST in points.
Smither garnered honor roll accolades after helping the team to two victories over the weekend. She dished out two assists and helped the defense allow just two goals, as they held William and Mary and Delaware to just 18 shots combined.
Next Up for the Lady Monarchs
Old Dominion is back at home on Oct. 3, as it hosts Villanova for a 4:00 p.m. match. The Lady Monarchs will then head to College Park, Md. to take on the fourth-ranked Terrapins at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.