NORFOLK, Va. – After a 1-1 showing against the seventh and eighth ranked teams in the country, Old Dominion continues its streak of ranked opponents by taking on No. 13 Liberty and No. 19 James Madison this weekend. The Lady Monarchs host the Flames on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and travel to Harrisonburg to face the Dukes on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Old Dominion enters the weekend ranked No. 15 in the most recent NFHCA Top 20 poll and with a 5-2 overall record. The Lady Monarchs defeated No. 8 Wake Forest last Friday, but fell to No. 7 Duke on Sunday. Catalina Barahona picked a great time to score her first goal of the season as she put home the game-winner in overtime against the Demon Deacons. Senior Caitlin Walsh scored the only goal of the game against Duke, marking her first goal of the season as well.
Senior Sarah Breen leads the team with 17 total points on a team-leading eight goals and one assist. Sophomore Danielle Grega ranks second with nine points on four goals and one assist, while senior Teisha King is third with five points (1g, 3a). Freshman Kealsie Robles has played the majority of time in goal for the Lady Monarchs and has recorded a 1.95 goals-against average and 11 saves.
As a team, ODU is recording 3.29 goals per game, while the Lady Monarchs’ opponents are only averaging 2.00. Old Dominion is also controlling the penalty corner margin, as the team averages 7.42 per outing to its opponents 4.14.
Liberty enters the matchup with a 5-2 overall record after falling to then No. 8 Wake Forest by a 2-1 margin. Ashlee Krulock netted a goal in the closing minutes of play for the Flames, while Mallory Cuccio recorded a season-best seven saves during the contest. Krulock currently leads the team with 14 points on six goals and two assists and is joined in double-digit scoring by Natalie Barr with 12 points (6 goals). Cuccio has played the majority of time in goal for the Flames and has notched a 2.30 goals-against average. She has also made 33 saves to post a .733 save percentage on the year.
James Madison went 1-1 last weekend, beating Appalachian State (5-0), but was on the receiving end against then No. 9 Louisville, losing by a 5-0 margin. Loes Stijntjes and Taylor West led the Dukes past the Mountaineers with two goals each, while Sara Kraeutler tallied her first shutout of the season in goal and made three saves. Louisville held JMU to just six shots the entire contest, as the Dukes suffered their first shutout loss of the season. Kraeutler once again started in goal and made a season-high nine saves.
JMU is led by Stijntjes on the offensive end with a total of 17 points on seven goals and three assists. Melissa Wilken ranks second on the team with 14 points (5g, 4a), while West (5g) and Miranda Rigg (4g, 2a) have recorded 10 points each. Kraeutler is the lone keeper for the Dukes and has recorded a 2.30 goals-against average and 36 saves on the season.
ODU vs. Liberty (Sept. 25, 6:00 PM)
Video
Live Stats
First Meeting: 2014
Last Meeting: 2014
Streak: ODU +1
Last LU Win: N/A
Last ODU Win: 2014, W, 2-1
Series History: ODU leads 1-0
ODU at JMU (Sept. 27, 1:00 PM)
Video
Live Stats
First Meeting: 1979
Last Meeting: 2014
Streak: ODU +6
Last JMU Win: 2008
Last ODU Win: 2014, W, 4-0
Series History: ODU leads 52-10