EASTON, Pa. -- Rebecca Birch scored three goals and the No. 15 Old Dominion field hockey team dominated Providence, 6-1, in the Big East opener on Friday at Lafayette College's Rappolt Field.
The game, originally scheduled to be played Friday in Norfolk, was relocated to Easton due to Hurricane Florence.
It has been a difficult week away from campus, so I’m very pleased with the win," said head coach Andrew Griffiths. "Providence is always a tough team, and we were persistent today and got the reward for that. Each game we are seeing different players make positive impacts on the field in different ways, and I love seeing that happen."
Old Dominion (7-0, 1-0 Big East) scored three goals in each half and outshot the Friars, 25-4. The six goals were the most by ODU since the Monarchs tallied six against Georgetown last year.
Erin Huffman scored two goals in the first half to help give ODU a 3-0 lead at the half. Alexandria Brewer, who finished the game with a goal and two assists, also scored for the Monarchs in the opening half.
In the second half, Providence (3-5, 0-1 Big East) scored its lone goal on a penalty corner early in the half to briefly cut the lead to two, but Birch the Monarchs answered, as Birch scored three goals in a 15-minute span to seal the win for ODU.
Lacey Frazier played the full 70 minutes in goal for the win.
"We are all very thankful to Lafayette for their generosity and assistance helping us this week," said Griffiths. "They opened up their turf, and equipment, and assisted with staff for hosting our home game today, which allowed us to play the game on a quality turf on the scheduled day and avoid more logistical challenges. It was a huge help for us."
Up next, ODU has a big showdown against No. 1 UConn next Friday at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
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