NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion lacrosse team looks to keep an unblemished record, as they take on Virginia Tech on Friday in Blacksburg and host Davidson on Sunday.
ODU is 2-6 all time against the Hokies in a series that started in 1996, while the Monarchs have only face the Wildcats once in a matchup between the two teams last season that resulted in a loss.
The Monarchs enter the weekend with a perfect 3-0 record, which marks the best start since 2009. ODU is led offensively by Atlantic-Sun Player of the Week, Jessica Liberty. Liberty earned her first career weekly award after leading the Monarchs attack with seven goals and an assist in two victories last week. She opened the week with a hat trick against Campbell as ODU won, 18-12. In the home opener two days later, Liberty scored four more goals to defeat Longwood, 19-7. Her seven goals came on only 11 shots on goal for an 84.6 shot-on-goal percentage. Liberty converted one free position opportunity and added seven ground balls as well. She ranks second in the A-Sun with 15 points after three games.
Karen Hayde directs the back line between the pipes, as she has played 166:03 in goal for the Monarchs and has stopped 19 shots. Morgan Gallagher and Kati Maggio are solid defenders, as they have combined for nine caused turnovers and 11 ground balls so far this season.
The Hokies enter the matchup with a 2-3 record after falling to High Point (6-10) and defeating Coastal Carolina (10-6) last weekend. Virginia Tech’s offense features two players in double-digit points, led by Megan Will. She has accumulated 21 points on 17 goals and four assists in just five games. Meg Bartley sits in second place on the team with 10 points on eight goals and two assists. Maddy Hess leads the back line with 11 caused turnovers and 10 ground balls as a starting defender.
Davidson is 1-1 on the season and is coming off a 16-11 loss to Navy on Feb. 21. Three players lead the Wildcats with eight points on the year. Annie Brockett and Lucy Sexton have each notched eight goals, while Emily Cooke has tallied two goals and six assists to total eight points. Holly Thomas paces the defense with four caused turnovers and five ground balls to go along with her five draw controls. Katy Boyle has played the majority of time in goal for the Wildcats, stopping 11 shots to garner a 10.98 goals-against average and a .355 save percentage.
ODU vs. Virginia Tech (Friday, February 27 at 3:00 PM)
Live Stats: http://www.hokiesports.com/lax/live/
Overall Record: 2-6
First Meeting: 1996
Streak: VT +6
Last VT Win: 2014
Last ODU Win: 1997
Series History:
2014 - Sat., Mar 29, 2014 - Norfolk, Va. - L, 17-18
2013 - Sat., Mar 23, 2013 - Blacksburg, Va. - L, 8-16
2012 - Sat., Mar 24, 2012 - Norfolk, Va. - L, 12-13
2011 - Sat., Mar 26, 2011 - Blacksburg, Va. - L, 10-18
2010 - Sat., Mar 27, 2010 - Norfolk, Va. - L, 12-13
2009 - Sat., Mar 28, 2009 - Blacksburg, Va. - L, 10-11 (2 OT)
1997 - Mon., Apr 7, 1997 - Norfolk, Va. - W, 16-6
1996 - Wed., Apr 3, 1996. - Blacksburg, Va. - W, 16-8
ODU vs. Davidson (Sunday, March 1, 1:00 PM)
Live Stats: http://www.odusports.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml
Video: http://www.odusports.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml
Overall Record: 0-1
First Meeting: 2014
Streak: DC +1
Last DC Win: 2014
Last ODU Win: ----
Series History:
2014 - Tue., Apr. 1, 2014 – Davidson, N.C. - L, 9-10