NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion women’s lacrosse team opened up the 2015 in style, claiming a 22-1 victory over the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at Spangler Stadium.
"This was a great way to start the season," said Head Coach Heather Holt. "The team was extremely supportive of each other from the bench all the way through. We played a whole 60 minutes and we never wavered in our intensity. Everyone stuck to the game plan and stuck to our core traits for the year, which are passion, discipline and selflessness. Our team definitely portrayed those traits today. We look forward to our first home game of the season against Longwood on Wednesday!"
Old Dominion started the game strong, scoring four goals in the first five minutes. Preseason All-Atlantic Sun honoree, Jessica Liberty, led the attack with two goals during that span. ODU never let up as the team scored nine more goals in the final fifteen minutes to take a commanding 13-0 advantage at halftime. Liberty once again led the charge, this time with three goals, while Mary Margaret McCaleb added two goals of her own.
The second half proved to be no different than the first. ODU scored nine more goals in the 30 minutes of running clock, led by Preseason All-Conference selection, Ashmore Standing. Connor Carson aided the efforts with two goals in a 10-minute span. GWU scored its only tally of the contest with 7:25 left to play when Destiny Meade connected on a free-position shot.
Liberty and Standing led the Lady Monarchs’ offense with five goals and one assist apiece, while Carson added three goals four draw controls and one caused turnovers. Christina Rea had a good game after finishing with two goals on three shots, four draw controls, two ground balls and one caused turnover. Natalie Ledwitz and McCaleb also added two goals, while Cydney Tutchton, Morgan Marrale and Megan Cameron scored one goal.
Karen Hayde earned the win in goal for the Monarchs, as she recorded five saves in 55 minutes of action. Maggi Buckley made her 2015 season debut as well, playing the final five minutes for the Lady Monarchs. Raygan Hall suffered the loss for the Bulldogs, finishing the game with eight saves.
The Lady Monarchs will be back in action next Wednesday for their first home game of the 2015 season, as they take on Longwood at 4:00 p.m. at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
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