LYNCHBURG, Va. – Despite Liberty holding a 7-4 edge in shots on goal, the ninth-ranked Lady Monarchs defeated the Lady Flames, 2-1, and picked up their first win of the season on Sunday afternoon in Lynchburg.
"We started well and we created a lot of opportunities throughout the game so that was positive," noted Head Coach Andrew Griffiths. "Liberty is a good team, they fight really hard and they never give up so it was great for us to get the result."
Freshman forward Victoria Rezette (Wezembeek-Oppem, Belgium) notched her first goal of the season and started the scoring for the Lady Monarchs at the 8:51 mark. She deflected the ball into the cage off a Megan Byas shot from the top of the circle that was set up by a Rosario Villagra (Salta, Argentina) penalty corner.
Katy Fuhrman (Columbia, Pa.), a senior forward, added the insurance goal when she flicked the ball past the goalie in the right corner at the 20:11 mark to give Old Dominion a 2-0 lead. That goal marked her third for the season, which ranks first on the team.
Liberty answered four minutes later when Alynn Richardson tipped the ball in off an Ashlee Krulock assist at the 23:59 mark. There would be no scoring the rest of the half as ODU went into the locker room with a 2-1 lead.
The Flames had a chance to tie the game eleven minutes into the second half when they were awarded a penalty stroke, but junior keeper Megan Hept (Chesapeake, Va.) forced the shot wide. The rest of the half looked to be a defensive effort, as neither team could put the ball in the cage and the game ended in favor of ODU.
Hept picked up the win and played all 70 minutes in goal for the Lady Monarchs, notching six saves. Mallory Cuccio was in net for the Flames and finished the game with one save.
Old Dominion held a 13-9 advantage in shots, while Liberty had a 7-4 edge in shots on goal. Both teams notched six corners throughout the game.
The Lady Monarchs will be back in action on Friday when they host No. 4 Duke at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex at 3:00 p.m. ODU will also host Monmouth on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 1:00 p.m.
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Scoring Summary:
8:51 ODU Victoria Rezette assisted by Megan Byas
20:11 ODU Katy Fuhrman
23:59 LIB Alynn Richardson assisted by Ashlee Krulock