WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Behind a furious late rally, the Old Dominion field hockey team pulled out a thrilling 4-3 overtime comeback victory over No. 22 William & Mary on Friday evening at Busch Field.
“The waves just kept coming. We were building confidence and they were on their back foot,” said head coach Andrew Griffiths about the late second-half surge. “It was super exciting to be a part of.”
Old Dominion (3-0) scored three goals, including two within a 45-second span, in the final seven minutes of regulation to overcome a 2-0 deficit and briefly take a 3-2 lead.
William & Mary (0-2) scored on a penalty corner with time expired to send the game to overtime.
However, Erin Huffman fired home a long shot from the top of the arc in the first OT period to hand the Monarchs their third straight win to open the season.
ODU is 3-0 for the first time since 2011.
“I think we just stayed working together as a team,” said Ilse Westera, who scored two goals for ODU. "And we finished as a team."
Trailing 2-0 late in the second half, Alexandria Brewer finally got the Monarchs on the board, knocking in a rebound off of a corner in the 64th minute.
Westera, off of an assist from fellow freshmen Merle Knobloch, then tied the game just 45 seconds later. The freshman duo then linked up again in the 67th minute to provide the Monarchs with a brief lead before the Tribe's equalizing corner sent the game to OT.
Just over seven minutes into the first overtime period, Huffman won the game for ODU, off of an assist from Knobloch, who finished the game with three assists.
Keaslie Robles earned the win in goal, making five saves.
"In overtime, we were attacking and not waiting for it," said Griffiths. "It was a great win."
Next up, ODU hosts No. 17 James Madison on Sunday at noon for the 2018 home opener.
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