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No. 17 Field Hockey Upsets No. 4 Liberty, 2-1

No. 17 Field Hockey Upsets No. 4 Liberty, 2-1No. 17 Field Hockey Upsets No. 4 Liberty, 2-1
Bob Bradlee


NORFOLK, Va. – Trailing 1-0 at the half, the No. 17 Old Dominion field hockey team struck for two goals in the third quarter to knock off No. 4 Liberty 2-1 at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex on Friday afternoon.
 
The win is Old Dominion's first against a top-five team since 2015, when the Monarchs toppled No. 5 Virginia 3-2 in double overtime.
 
"We controlled the tempo really well in the first half," head coach Andrew Griffiths said. "In the second half it got away from us a little bit. The biggest challenge for us was not playing for three weeks – how would we be getting up to game speed for 60 minutes? So I was really pleased with how we came out of the gates."
 
 



ODU (5-3, 5-2 BIG EAST) scored both goals in the span of 74 seconds to erase a 1-0 deficit. Ilse Westera knotted the score at 1-1 in the 37th minute with her first goal since the 2018 season. Riley Taylor's initial shot was saved by Flames goalkeeper Azul Irixity Irigoyen, but the rebound fell kindly to Westera, who was alone at the back post to tap it in.
 
Taylor then buried the game-winning score shortly thereafter when she deflected a pass from Delphine Le Jeune into the left side of the goal. The junior from Virginia Beach, Virginia ranks second on the team with five goals, matching her single-season high.
 
The Monarchs showcased their character in the fourth quarter, holding off a late surge by the Flames (9-2, 7-2 BIG EAST) while down a player for 12 total minutes in the final quarter. Liberty outshot ODU 6-1 in the fourth, but a pair of saves from Cam MacGillivray iced the upset for the Monarchs.
 
"The biggest thing to come from the game was it was another step for a young team and their mental toughness," Griffiths said. "They found a way. They hung in there tough. We worked hard and shifted and defended the circle very well, and Cam had a great game in goal."
 
A redshirt junior from Calgary, Alberta, MacGillivray allowed just the lone goal while making four saves, all in the second half. As a unit, Old Dominion's defense limited the BIG EAST's most-prolific offense to one goal on 11 shots. The Flames entered Friday averaging 3.60 goals per contest on 14.7 shots.
 
"I think our backfield did, overall, really well," Griffiths said. "Our midfielders helped out better. One of the areas we've been trying to grow on is getting help over to where the ball is quicker, and that was much better today. It was hard to get into the circle and get clean shots."
 
ODU trailed at halftime despite dictating the play. Down a player as a result of a green card, the Monarchs conceded a counterattack goal in the 27th minute on the only shot attempt they allowed in the half. Jill Bolton played the ball into the circle for Daniella Rhodes, who finished past a charging MacGillivray.
 
For the game, Liberty outshot Old Dominion 11-8, but the shots on target (5-5) and penalty corners (3-3) were even.
 
Azul Irixity Irigoyen played all 60 minutes in the LU goal and made three saves.
 
The two ranked teams square off once more tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the final home match of the season for the Monarchs.