EAST LANSING, Mich. – The 16th-ranked Old Dominion field hockey team picked up its first shutout of the season, as the Lady Monarchs posted a 6-0 victory over Kent State on Saturday afternoon at Ralph Young Field.
After the win, ODU improved to 3-1 on the season, while the Golden Flashes fell to 1-1 overall.
After a scoreless 20 minutes, the Lady Monarchs lit up the scoreboard when Emily Harting converted on a penalty stroke at the 20:57 mark. ODU picked up right where it left off yesterday, putting together another quick run with three more goals in a span of three minutes and 12 seconds.
Freshman Danielle Grega scored first with an unassisted goal at the 21:53 mark, while junior Casey Dolan scored her first goal of the season 31 seconds later with her own unassisted goal (22:24).
Senior Sarah Breen capped the run after she beat the lone KSU defender to find the back of the cage for her fourth goal of the year. Breen is now just six points away from reaching 100 for her career. She racked up 85 points during her first three seasons and currently leads the team with nine points this year. She is also 10 goals away from scoring her 50th career goal.
Kent State was only able to get one shot off in the entire 35 minutes of play, as the Lady Monarchs took a 4-0 lead at the half.
The Lady Monarchs opened the second period with a quick score from Dolan, this time assisted by senior Teisha King, to take a comfortable 5-0 lead over Kent State. Grega scored the final goal for ODU at the 40:37 mark off an assist by Breen to secure the 6-0 win.
Freshman keeper Kealsie Robles once again started in goal for ODU and played the entire 70 minutes, moving to 2-0 on the year. Robles led a defense that allowed just three Kent State shots the entire game.
Andrea Rinehart (1-1) started for Kent State and played 40:58 in goal and make one save, but allowed all six goals and suffered the loss. Katelyn Keller played the final 29:02 for the Golden Flashes and made two saves.
Breen paced the ODU offense with one goal on six shots and one assist, while Dolan and Grega notched four points on two goals apiece. Aileen Ahlers was the only KSU player to shoot, as she made all three shot attempts.
The Lady Monarchs will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 11, as they host old CAA rival William & Mary at 7:00 p.m. at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex. ODU holds a 45-12 advantage in the series that dates back to the 1974 season.
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