HAMDEN, Conn. -- The 25th-ranked Old Dominion field hockey team shut out Quinnipiac, 3-0, for its third straight win on Friday afternoon at the Quinnipiac Field Hockey Stadium.
The Old Dominion (10-5, 3-3 Big East) defense put forth a dominant performance, holding Quinnipiac (4-10, 1-5 Big East) without a shot or a penalty corner for the entirety of the contest.
Rebecca Birch, Ilse Westera and Riley Taylor scored goals for the Monarchs.
"Our defenders were covering for each other really well and preventing second-half opportunities for their forwards," said head coach Andrew Griffiths about the defensive effort.
Birch opened the scoring for ODU, firing in a shot off of a penalty corner less than five minutes into the game. The goal was Birch's team-leading 10th of the season. Marlee McClendon picked up the assist on Birch's goal.
Shortly after, Westera made it a 2-0 lead with a one-time rocket in front of goal in the 10th minute. Alexa Ostoich and Merle Knobloch had assists on the Westera goal.
The Monarchs carried the 2-0 into halftime.
In the second half, Taylor deflected in a Birch shot on a corner in the 42nd minute to round out the scoring.
"Our team defense and the press worked amazing," said Birch. "That's where we countered and were able to get off so many shots."
Overall, ODU outshot Quinnipiac, 15-0, and held an 11-0 advantage in penalty corners.
Kealsie Robles and Lacey Frazier combined for the shutout in goal, marking the second consecutive combined clean sheet for the duo.
"We got off to a good start, but I feel like we played our best hockey as the game went on," said Griffiths.
Up next, the Monarchs host Villanova and No. 1 North Carolina next weekend to close out the regular season.
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