NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion field hockey team (7-8, 3-3 BIG EAST) is set to host BIG EAST foe Providence (12-5, 4-2 BIG EAST) on Friday, Oct. 28 at noon and No. 5 North Carolina (13-4, 4-3 ACC) on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex. The Lady Monarchs will honor seniors Megan Byas, Casey Dolan and Alyssa Jones during a pregame Senior Day ceremony on Saturday.
ODU enters the weekend after pulling off a 3-2 OT win over Villanova last weekend. Goals by Erin Huffman, Danielle Grega and the game-winner in overtime by Chrissy Horn helped lift the Lady Monarchs to an even 3-3 record in BIG EAST play. A win on Friday against Providence will lock up a bid to the conference tournament for the Lady Monarchs.
Grega leads Old Dominion in scoring heading into the final weekend of regular season play with 15 points coming off seven goals and one assist. Erin Huffman and Dolan have each registered five goals apiece, while Byas has four scores and Chrissy Horn has three to her credit.
Goalkeeper Kealsie Robles has played every minute in the cage for the Lady Monarchs. The sophomore has recorded 65 saves and a 2.04 goals-against average while earning one shutout victory.
The Providence Friars come to Norfolk Friday after dropping back-toback games against No. 12 Boston College, 2-1 (2OT), and Liberty, 2-1, last weekend. The Friars are led in scoring by Adrienne Houle, who has nine goals and two assists on the season, Sylvia Miller, who has notched eight goals and two assists, and Kali Kilmer, who has seven goals to her credit.
The fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels enter Saturday's game after cruising past Liberty, 5-1, last Sunday after suffering a 3-0 loss to top-ranked Duke on Saturday. Lauren Moyer has carried the Tar Heels this season, racking up 14 goals and two assists. UNC has earned wins over eight of the current top-20 teams including an early season win over No. 1 Duke on Sep. 25.
Seniors
Megan Byas, Sr., Driffield, England
Starting every game the last three seasons, Meg Byas has racked up numerous accolades as a Lady Monarch. Entering the 2016 season she was a unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST honoree. Byas claimed All-BIG EAST Second Team recognition during her sophomore and junior campaigns and was an NFHCA All-South Region Second Team member in 2014. The England native has registered 11 goals and 12 assists throughout her career and helped the Lady Monarchs rank second in the league with a 1.86 goals-against average in 2015. A sport management major, Byas has also excelled in the classroom, achieving NFHCA National Academic Squad honors three times, and will graduate in December.
Casey Dolan., Sr., Forty Fort, Pa.
Over her four years as a Lady Monarch, Casey Dolan has made 36 starts and has seen action in 58 games. Currently tied for second on the team in scoring, she has registered 12 goals in her career including five this season. The Pennsylvania native has scored three game-winning goals for the Lady Monarchs, including overtime scores against then-No.14 Delaware on Sept. 2 and against No. 5 Virginia, 3-2 2OT, last October. Dolan will finish her coursework in December and graduate in the spring with a bachelor's degree in exercise science with a minor in sport management.
Alyssa Jones., Sr., Stroudsburg, Pa.
Alyssa Jones has started every game of her senior campaign and has seen action in 52 games over her four seasons as a Lady Monarch. A native of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Jones scored her first collegiate goal during ODU's 8-0 blanking of Villanova in October of 2014. This season, Jones tacked on an assist in the Lady Monarchs' 3-2 OT win over now-ninth-ranked Delaware on Sept. 2. Off the field, Jones earned C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll distinction in 2015 and will graduate in December with a bachelor's degree in sport management.
Up Next
With a win over Providence Friday, the Lady Monarchs will head to the BIG EAST Tournament on Nov. 4-6 hosted by Temple in Philadelphia.