NORFOLK, Va. – The ninth-ranked Old Dominion field hockey team will look to bounce back from a 0-2 start to the season when they take on Wake Forest at home on Friday at 5:00 p.m. and Liberty on the road on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Last Week
The Lady Monarchs did not start the season like they hoped, dropping both games to No. 8 Penn State, 2-1, and No. 19 American, 1-0. Senior forward Katy Fuhrman (Columbia, Pa.) was the only player to notch a goal for the Monarchs. In both games, the Monarchs outshot their opponents and recorded a 27-15 edge over the two games. Redshirt junior Megan Hept (Chesapeake, Va.) played the entirety of both games in goal for the Lady Monarchs and recorded a goals-against average of 1.50 and stopped six shots. Her six saves currently rank third in the BIG EAST.
Series Record vs. Wake Forest
Old Dominion enters the game with the Demon Deacons holding a slight 4-1 edge in the all-time series that dates back to 1997. The Lady Monarchs recorded four straight wins against Wake Forest, with their largest margin of victory coming during the 1997 and 2000 seasons when ODU won by a score of 6-0 in both games. The Demon Deacons only win against the Lady Monarchs was last season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Wake Forest upset the sixth-ranked ODU team and advanced to the second round with a 3-2 victory.
Scouting Wake Forest
The Demon Deacons enter the game 1-1 overall. Last weekend, the team lost their home opener to Iowa, 4-1, but bounced back to defeat Michigan, 3-2, in overtime. Anna Kozniuk led the offense, tallying two goals to total four points over the weekend. Two other players notched a goal apiece, while three players recorded an assist. Valerie Dahmen played both games in goal and recorded a 2.91 goals-against average. She also stopped five shots during her time in the cage.
Kozniuk returns as the Demon Deacons top player after earning First Team All-ACC honors last season. She was also named NFHCA Second Team All-America and First Team All-South Region. She finished her junior year with 24 points on nine goals and six assists. She also led the team with two defensive saves.
Series Record vs. Liberty
The Lady Monarchs have never faced the Liberty field hockey team. The Flames announced in November of 2010 that the Athletics Department would make field hockey its 21st NCAA Division I sponsored program. Competition officially started in the fall of 2011 for the Flames.
Scouting Liberty
The Flames enter the weekend 1-1 overall after defeating Pacific, 2-1, and falling to No. 12 Stanford, 4-1. Three Liberty players notched a goal over the weekend. Hannah Doherty led the offense with three points off on one goal and an assist. Ashlee Krulock and Hannah Jones also recorded a tally, while Cassidy Bremner collected an assist. Mallory Cuccio played all 140 minutes in goal for the Flames. She recorded a 2.50 goals-against average and posted 19 saves.
Krulock and Jones are welcomed back as the leading returners after being named to the NorPac East All-Conference team last season. Krulock finished the year with 23 points on 10 goals and three assists, while Jones tallied 21 points on eight goals and five assists.
The Last Time
If you look at the Old Dominion field hockey year-by-year results, you won't find many losses. However, this year’s 0-2 start marks one of the worst starts by a Lady Monarch team. The last time a squad lost both games AND only scored one goal was during the 1976 season when they lost to Westhampton, 3-0, and Longwood, 4-1. On a brighter note, the last time ODU lost both opening games on the road was in 2001 (Michigan State, 3-2; No. 4 Michigan, 1-0), but the team went on to finish the season with an 18-5 record, captured the CAA Championship title and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Noting the Monarchs’ 2014 Schedule
The Lady Monarchs will take part in an 18-game regular-season schedule, including 11 teams that reached the NCAA Tournament and seven conference champions. To further this note, of the 11 NCAA Tournament qualifying teams, ODU will take on all four of the teams that reached the semifinals and the 2013 National Champion, Connecticut.
After the two matches this weekend, the Lady Monarchs play two games at home with a matchup against Duke on Friday, Sept. 12 at 3:00 p.m. and a game against Monmouth on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1:00 pm at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
Follow Old Dominion Field Hockey on Social Media!
Twitter: @ODUFieldHockey
Facebook: ODUFH
Instagram: ODUSports