WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Old Dominion women’s lacrosse team closed out the regular season with a 24-6 victory over Howard to earn their 13th win of the season and tie the program’s record for single season wins. The Monarchs concluded the year with a 13-4 overall record and a 6-1 mark in the Atlantic-Sun Conference and will enter the upcoming tournament as the No. 2 seed.
The Monarchs struck early in the first half, with Jessica Liberty finding the back of the net just 36 seconds into the contest from an Ashmore Standing assist. ODU scored two more goals from Morgan Marrale and Standing to take a 3-0 lead with 24:29 left in the first half, but the Bison never gave up and pulled within one goal (3-2) three minutes later.
ODU then went on an 8-0 run to take an 11-2 lead with 9:26 remaining in the first half. Standing led the attack with three of her six goals during that span. The Monarchs closed the first period with three goals from Carly Williams, Alex Danks and Natalie Ledwitz to hold a 14-4 edge at the intermission.
Liberty opened up the second half again, this time 47 seconds minutes into the final period. Liberty’s goal started another 8-0 run for the Monarchs that spanned 16:49 of the second half. Liberty, Standing and Connor Carson each netted two goals during the run, while Mary Margaret McCaleb and Cydney Tutchton added a goal of their own.
Aria Williams would score two goals for Howard in the final minutes, but ODU added two more goals from Liberty and Alex Danks to claim the 24-6 win. This is the second time the Monarchs have scored 24 points in a game to tie the program record.
ODU led in most statistical categories, including a dominant 23-9 edge in draw controls. The Monarchs also held a 40-21 lead in shots, while both teams scooped up 17 ground balls.
Maggi Buckley earned the win for ODU, playing 47:11 in goal and making seven saves. Karen Hayde played the remaining 13:49 minutes and stopped four shots. Amerra Scheckles suffered the loss for the Bison, making eight saves.
Standing led the offense with six goals and two assists, to go along with her four ground balls, three caused turnovers and two draw controls. Liberty added five goals and one assist, while Carson chipped in with three scores and six draws. Morgan Gallagher once again paced the back-line with three ground balls, one caused turnover and six draw controls. Kati Maggio also helped the defense allow just six goals by recording two ground balls, four draw controls and one caused turnover.
Williams paced the Bison with two goals, while four other players added a goal of their own. Taylor Gainey led the defense with four ground balls and three caused turnovers.
ODU will be back in action on Friday, May 1 for the semifinals of the A-Sun Tournament. The Monarchs will take on the Detroit Titans, a team they beat 16-9 just a week ago, or the No. 6 seed. The tournament will be streamed on ESPN3 (watchespn.com) and live stats will be available.
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