NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion field hockey will look to snap its five game losing streak in its final two regular season contests this weekend. The 19th-ranked Lady Monarchs will face Providence at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and then travel to No. 3 North Carolina on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. matchup.
ODU (8-8, 1-3 BIG EAST) will face Providence for its last regular season BIG EAST contest on Friday and before the match begins, the team will recognize its five seniors. Sarah Breen, Teisha King, Emily Harting, Alex Iqbal and Caitlin Walsh will all be honored. This class has led the program to a 40-37 overall record, a BIG EAST regular season title and two NCAA Tournamnet appearances during their time in an ODU uniform.
The Lady Monarchs are dangerously close to being knocked out of the running to participate in the 2015 BIG EAST Championship. With a 1-3 conference record, ODU needs to defeat Providence to secure a spot. The last time the Lady Monarchs did not make post-season play, besides 2012 when the team was ineligible for the CAA Tournament due to conference realignment, occurred in 2009. ODU went 5-3 in CAA play, but was edged by Hofstra for the fourth and last seed of the tournament.
Providence enters the matchup with a 4-13 overall record and a 2-2 mark in conference play. The Friars fell just short of upsetting No. 9Liberty on Sunday afternoon, falling 4-3 in overtime. Adrienne Houle, who has notched six goals and one assist, leads Providence on offense, while Jackie Fusco paces the defense with one defensive save. Deidra Clymer has played the majority of time in goal for the Friars and has notched 39 saves and a 2.69 goals-against average.
On Sunday, the Lady Monarchs will face the No. 3 team in the nation in the North Carolina Tarheels on ESPN3. UNC opens the week with a game against No. 10 Liberty on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. before facing the Lady Monarchs. Gab Major leads the squad with 31 points on 12 goals and seven assists. Five other players have reached double figure points for the Tarheels, while nine members of the team have recorded at least a point. Shannon Johnson is the starting goalie for UNC and boasts a 1.31 goals-against average in 959:28 minutes of action. She has stopped 34 shots for a .654 saves percentage and has notched three solo shutouts.
ODU vs. Providence (October 30 – 3:00 PM)
Live Stats
Video
First Meeting: 1993
Last Meeting: 2014
Streak: ODU +4
Last Providence Win: N/A
Last ODU Win: 2014, 2-0
Series History: ODU leads 4-0
ODU vs. North Carolina (November 1 – 1:00 PM)
Live Stats
Video
First Meeting: 1978
Last Meeting: 2014
Streak: UNC +1
Last UNC Win: 2014, 5-1
Last ODU Win: 2013, 3-2 OT
Series History: UNC leads 43-35-2