| #23 Old Dominion (0-0, 0-0 Big East) vs. #7 Penn State (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten) | |||
| Game Info | Friday, August 25, at 6 p.m. ET | ||
| Location | L.R. Hill Sports Complex (Norfolk, Va.) | ||
| Follow | Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter | Instagram | ||
| #23 Old Dominion (0-0, 0-0 Big East) vs. #21 American (0-0, 0-0 Patriot) | |||
| Game Info | Sunday, August 27, at 12 p.m. ET | ||
| Location | L.R. Hill Sports Complex (Norfolk, Va.) | ||
| Follow | Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter | Instagram | ||
NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion field hockey team, ranked 23rd in the nation, opens the 2017 season this weekend with home matches against No. 7 Penn State and No. 21 American at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
Friday's season opener against Penn State is set for Friday at 6 p.m. The Monarchs then take on American on Sunday at noon. The first 100 fans in attendance for Friday's opener will receive a free ODU Field Hockey tank top.
Head coach Andrew Griffiths enters his fifth season at the helm of ODU field hockey, as the Monarchs return 16 letterwinners and nine starters from a season ago. All-Big East performer Danielle Grega, who led the team in scoring with seven goals and one assist last season, headlines the returnees. Erin Huffman, who scored five goals in 2016, and goalkeeper Kealsie Robles, who played every minute in goal last season, also return.
Overall, 11 players return who scored a goal or recorded an assist last season. In addition, the Monarchs also welcome in seven freshmen and senior transfer Julia Van Dorsten.
ODU's opening weekend, featuring a pair of contests against ranked foes, sets the tone for what proves to be a challenging slate for Griffiths and the Monarchs. The schedule features eight matchups against teams ranked in the preseason poll, including No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Duke.
ABOUT #7 PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions, ranked seventh in the NFHCA Preseason Top 25, posted a 17-3 record last season, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Penn State returns seven starters, including All-Americans Moira Putsch and Aurelia Meijer, who combined for 27 goals and 32 assists last season. ODU leads the all-time series against Penn State, 15-14. However, the Nittany Lions defeated ODU, 6-2, in last year's season opener.
ABOUT #21 AMERICAN
American went 14-7 a season ago, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, before falling to top-seeded Duke. The Eagles, despite losing last year's leading scorer Natalie Konerth, still return three players who scored seven or more goals last year in Rafaela Rubas, Leah DiGiandomenico and Haley Bowcott. ODU the all-time series, 29-4, and defeated American, 2-1, last season in Washington, D.C.
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