NORFOLK, Va. – The 19th-ranked Old Dominion field hockey team (7-6/1-1 BIG EAST) will take on two top-20 teams this weekend in No. 16 Temple (10-4/2-0 BIG EAST) and No. 6 Virginia (11-4/4-2 ACC). The Lady Monarchs will take on the Owls on Friday at 3:00 p.m. and then travel to Charlottesville, Va. to battle against the sixth-ranked Cavaliers on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
The Lady Monarchs game against Temple Friday is a charity’s game for pancreatic cancer. The team will be wearing purple socks. Fans are encouraged to wear purple and can visit this link to donate- www.pancan.org.
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. Twitter updates will be available from @ODUFieldHockey.
The match at UVA will be streamed here, or you can keep up with live stats.
Weekend Rewind
Last Friday, the No. 19 Lady Monarchs suffered their biggest loss of the season (0-4) to BIG EAST rival and No. 6 Connecticut. The shutout marked just the third time ODU hasn’t scored a goal this season. However, the team bounced back and picked up a 3-1 win over the Quinnipiac Bobcats, a team that made it to the 2013 NCAA Tournament. Junior midfielder Sarah Breen (Melbourne, Australia) led the Lady Monarchs’ offense with two goals to bring her season total to seven. She has recorded 31 goals over her career, which ranks second on the team.
Kelly Weaver (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) picked up her first career start against the Bobcats and finished the game with four saves.
Series Record vs. Temple
The Lady Monarchs hold a 19-1-1 advantage in the overall series with Temple that dates back to the 1981 season. The tie came in the opening game of the series in 1981 and Temple’s only win against the Lady Monarchs came a year later in 1982 when they recorded a 2-1 victory. Since then, Old Dominion is on a 19-game winning streak against the Owls.
Scouting the Owls
Temple enters the conference matchup with Old Dominion with a 10-4 overall record and a 2-0 conference mark. This past weekend, the Owls defeated LaSalle, 5-1, and Villanova, 6-3. Amber Youtz led the offense, recording 14 points. Against Villanova, she scored four goals and two days later, Youtz turned in a similar performance against La Salle, notching a hat trick. For her efforts, she was named the most recent BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week.
Youtz leads the team and the BIG EAST in points, collecting 39 off of 18 goals and three assists this season. Lizzy Millen has played the majority of time in goal for the Owls, allowing just 19 goals during her 897.55 minutes of action. She has recorded a 1.48 goals-against average and collected 79 saves during her time in cage.
Series Record vs. Virginia
Old Dominion and Virginia meet on Sunday with the Lady Monarchs holding a 33-15 edge in the all-time series that started in 1976. The Cavaliers are currently on a two-game winning streak over the Lady Monarchs. Old Dominion’s last win over UVA came in 2011 when it posted a 4-1 victory.
Scouting the Cavaliers
Virginia enters the weekend with an 11-4 overall record after suffering its first ACC loss at the hands on No. 17 Wake Forest. The Cavaliers fell 4-3 to the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest took a 2-1 lead into the halftime. Trailing 3-1 after Wake Forest tacked on another goal 10 minutes into the second half, Tara Vittese got the Cavaliers to within one after converting a penalty stroke. With nine minutes remaining, Wake Forest converted another short corner opportunity to take a 4-2 lead. Two minutes later, senior Maddie DeCerbo pulled Virginia back to a one-goal deficit, tapping in a pass to reach the final 4-3 score.
Vittese paces the Cavalier offense with 41 points on 13 goals and 15 assists. Caleigh Foust ranks second with 25 points, while Riley Tata is third with 22 points. Jenny Johnstone has started in 12 games for the Cavaliers and has recorded a 1.76 goals-against average during her time on the field. She has also posted 62 saves for a .721 save percentage.
ODU Countdown
10 – Rosario Villagra leads the team with 10 assists on the year.
9 – ODU has tallied 98 shots on goal this season.
8 – ODU’s 2014 slate features eight teams ranked in the most recent Penn Monto/NFHCA Poll.
7 – Seven Lady Monarchs have tallied just one goal this season.
6 – Katy Fuhrman ranks second on the team with six goals.
5 – There are five more games left on the Lady Monarchs regular season schedule.
4 – Megan Byas ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in defensive saves.
3 – Megan Hept is ranked third in the conference in goals-against average (1.56)
2 – Sarah Breen is ranked second in the BIG EAST in shots (51) and shots per game (3.92)
1 – Emily Harting is 1-for-1 in penalty strokes this season.
Pen Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll
The Lady Monarchs are currently ranked No. 19 in the most recent Penn Monto / NFHCA Coaches Poll. Old Dominion will take on three teams in their remaining five games, featured by No. 1 North Carolina (11-2) on Nov. 2.
Next Up for the Lady Monarchs
Old Dominion will be back in action on Oct. 24 when it travels to Providence for a BIG EAST matchup against the Friars. Game time is set to start at 3:00 p.m.
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