NORFOLK, Va. --?Ashmore Standing and Morgan Marrale combined for eight goals to lead the Old Dominion women's lacrosse team over Liberty, 12-8, on Saturday afternoon at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
"It was messy to begin with. We had a slow start today, but, in the end, we got the job done," said head coach Heather Holt. "In the past, I don't know if we would have come back as well as we did today. So, that just shows the growth of the program."
Old Dominion (4-1) opened the game with a 2-0 lead off back-to-back goals from Megan Topper and Standing. However, Liberty (1-4) responded with six consecutive goals to take a 6-2 lead late in the first half.
The Lady Monarchs closed the gap before halftime, as Natalie Ledwitz and Standing each tallied a goal in the final three minutes of the half. At the half, Liberty led, 6-4.
In the second half, ODU outscored Liberty, 8-2, as Standing and Marrale each recorded three goals after halftime. Trailing 8-7 with under 20 minutes remaining, ODU scored five unanswered goals to close the game.?
The five-goal spurt was ignited by a Megan Cameron goal that tied the game at 8-8. Marrale then scored her third goal of the game, before Standing scored a man-down goal to give the Lady Monarchs a two-goal cushion with less than seven minutes remaining. Cydney Tutchton and Standing then closed out the scoring for ODU.?
With her five-goal performance, Standing passed current assistant coach and former ODU standout Ashley Waters for eighth all-time in career scoring in program history.
"We were definitely taking our time and being more patient," said Holt of the team's play in the second half. "Our shots just weren't falling in the first half, so we just had to reel them in a little bit and slow the pace down. Better game management in the second half allowed us to get better shots off."
Overall, the Lady Monarchs outshot Liberty, 34-20, and caused 22 turnovers, while committing just 17. Maggi Buckley earned the victory in net, tallying eight saves. Also on the defensive end, Morgan Gallagher and Connor Carson each caused four turnovers. Carson also recorded a team-high five draw controls.?
"Maggi came up with key saves when we needed them today," said Holt. "She had some one-on-one stuffs and some really good saves that lifted our team up. We played a little more aggresively and I think that's what we needed today and it worked out in the end."
UP NEXT
Old Dominion returns to the road for a game at William & Mary on Thursday, March 10, at 12 p.m.
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