CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. – Marlon de Bruijne scored with 1:09 remaining in regulation to lift the No. 17-ranked Old Dominion field hockey team to a 2-1 comeback win over Providence at The Proving Grounds in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
"That was a good win against a tough team," head coach Andrew Griffiths said. "Providence played very well today and always posed a threat, especially on the counter attack."
De Bruijne netted the game-winning goal from a direct strike off a penalty corner with assists going to Jessica Gabriel and Marlee McClendon. The freshman from Den Bosch, Netherlands now has 13 goals and 28 points this season, the most by a Monarch since Rosario Villagra had 14 goals and 41 points in 2013.
McClendon's assist was her 10th of the season, setting a new personal high for the redshirt senior. Gabriel also set a career high with three points.
The two sides entered halftime at 0-0 following a defensive first 30 minutes. ODU (8-4, 8-3 BIG EAST) threatened late in the first quarter with a pair of shots inside the final seven seconds, but neither found the back of the cage. PC (2-9, 2-7) tested Cam MacGillivray for the first time in the 23rd minute, but MacGillivray stood firm.
ODU enjoyed a strong start to the second half, drawing a pair of early saves from Asia Porter. However, the tide quickly turned on the Monarchs. The Friars hit Old Dominion in transition and grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute. Sophia Pompeo's goal snapped the Monarchs' shutout streak of 176:20.
"I am impressed seeing the resilience and character of our team, and they were really tough today under pressure," Griffiths said. "We went a goal down on a counter attack, and then had to fight through a bit of sustained pressure for a few minutes. We lost one of our central midfielders at that time as well for the rest of the game, so we had to filter into different positions. We just kept persisting and playing simple and finally started finding openings and were able to get one on the board to tie the game."
Old Dominion tied the score late in the third quarter when Gabriel tucked away a rebound for her first goal of the season and the second of her career.
MacGillivray kept the score tied with a pair of saves inside the first minute of the fourth quarter. From there, ODU limited PC to a single shot attempt over the final 14 minutes. The Monarchs earned their third penalty corner of the quarter at the 58:45 mark and scored the game winner six seconds later.
For the game, ODU held edges in total shots (14-8), shots on target (9-6) and penalty corners (7-5). MacGillivray made five saves, and Porter stopped seven shots.
The Monarchs now turn their attention to the BIG EAST Championships. ODU will enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed and will play No. 2 seed Liberty in the semifinals on Thursday. The BIG EAST Championships are taking place at The Proving Grounds, the site of ODU's last three matches.
"I liked the way our players adjusted to different positions, stayed together and kept working through the fourth quarter," Griffiths said. "It was great to get a comeback win, and to score emphatically in the last minute was exciting for our team. We will be back to Philadelphia ready to go in a few days."