NORFOLK, Va. – No. 19 Old Dominion will be on the road this weekend, taking on No. 6 Connecticut and Quinnipiac on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The Lady Monarchs will face off against UConn on Friday at 6:00 p.m., while they will play Quinnipiac at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. ODU currently sits in third in the BIG EAST and 19th in the latest Penn Monto / NFHCA Poll.
Weekend Rewind
The Old Dominion Lady Monarchs enter the weekend with a 6-5 overall record and 1-0 in the BIG EAST after defeating Villanova in their first conference game, but falling to No. 2 Maryland in non-conference action on Sunday. ODU set a season high in goals scored against Villanova, notching eight total. The Lady Monarchs suffered a 3-1 setback to No. 2 Maryland on Sunday, but will look to rebound on the road this weekend.
Live Action
Fans can keep up with both games via live stats or a live video feed using the links listed below.
Connecticut: Live Stats Video
Quinnipiac: Live Stats Video
Series Record vs. Connecticut
ODU enters the match with Connecticut, holding a 24-11 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1979. In the first-ever meeting, the Huskies defeated the Lady Monarchs, 7-0. ODU’s largest margin of victory over Connecticut was a 6-0 win over the Huskies in 1992. Last season the two teams split, with ODU winning the first meeting, 5-0, but falling the BIG EAST Championship, 1-0.
Scouting Connecticut
The Huskies enter the matchup with the Lady Monarchs with a 7-2 overall record and a 1-0 conference mark. Casey Umstead notched her first-career hat trick to help propel the sixth-ranked team to a 6-0 victory over Georgetown in its Big East opener on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies won their seventh-consecutive Big East opener. Connecticut dominated possession, out-shooting its conference foes, 27-to-2, and holding an 8-to-1 penalty corner edge. Nina Klein recorded a clean sheet in the win, making two saves, while Katie Guarini saw her first action of the season when she subbed in for Klein at the 67:30 mark.
Roisin Upton leads the Huskies with 12 points off of three goals and six assists, while Charlotte Vietner and Sophie Bowden rank second with 10 points apiece. Klein has played 648:13 minutes in goal for the Huskies, recording a .940 goals-against average and a .737 save percentage. Her goals-against average ranks first in the conference and sixth in the nation.
Series Record vs. Quinnipiac
The Lady Monarchs and the Bobcats have met once during the 2013 season, with ODU coming out on top, 7-0.
Scouting Quinnipiac
The Bobcats enter the weekend with a 3-7 overall record, after falling to Providence, 5-1, on the road. Quinnipiac jumped out to the early lead, but five unanswered goals proved too much to overcome. Meghan McCullough picked up the lone goal with a penalty stroke tally early in the first half, while goalkeeper, Megan Conaboy, tallied five saves on the afternoon.
Danielle Allan leads the Bobcats’ offense with 12 points on five goals and two assists. McCullough and Lea Dietrichs rank second with seven points apiece. Conaboy leads all NCAA Division I goalkeepers with 80 saves, averaging 8.0 per game. She has also tallied a 2.64 goals-against average and a .748 save percentage.
Did You Know?
Senior Rosario Villagra (Salta, Argentina) reached a career milestone against Maryland on Sunday. With her one goal that game, she reached 100 points for her career. During her time with ODU, she has notched 34 goals and dished out 32 assists. She has also been a well-decorated player, earning BIG EAST Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors last season.
BIG EAST Players of the Week
The BIG EAST announced its Athletes of the Week on Monday for the week ending October 6, and junior keeper Megan Hept (Chesapeake, Va.) was named the Defensive Player of the Week, while senior forward Rosario Villagra (Salta, Argentina) was named the Offensive Player of the Week.
Hept picked her second career weekly honor after she recorded her third shutout of the season, making two saves in the 8-0 win in ODU’s BIG EAST opener against Villanova. Her three shutouts rank second in the league. Against No. 2 Maryland, she tied her season-high of seven saves in the 3-1 loss. On the week, she tallied nine saves and a .750 save percentage.
Hept has recorded 40 saves on the year, which ranks fifth in the conference. In her 782:13 minutes of action, Megan has recorded a 1.34 goals against average and a .727 save percentage. Her GAA ranks second in the BIG EAST, while her save percentage is third. Hept also ranks 14th in the nation in goals-against average and 31st in save percentage.
Villagra garnered her third career accolade and second this season after helping the team to a 1-1 week. She led the Lady Monarchs' offense against Villanova, as she had a hand in five of the eight goals scored. She recorded two tallies and dished out three assists. In the loss to No. 2 Maryland, Villagra scored the only goal of the contest.
Villagra ranks second in the conference in points (24), first in points per-game (2.18), fifth in goals (7), first in assists (10) and first in assists per-game (0.91). Her assist per-game total also ranks 15th in the country, while her points per-game mark ranks 43rd.
Next Up for the Lady Monarchs
After this weekend, the Lady Monarchs have just five more regular season games left on the schedule. ODU faces No. 15 Temple on Oct. 17, which is its pancreatic cancer awareness game. The Lady Monarchs then travel to No. 3 UVA, Providence and Georgetown, before closing out the regular season at home against No. 1 North Carolina.
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