By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion's field hockey team got a big Friday for the ODU athletic program off to a promising start, beating James Madison, 6-1, in a matinee game.
The game came hours before the ODU and Virginia Tech football teams were to square off at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
Playing against one of their oldest rivals, the Monarchs (2-1) expected this game to be close, as most in the series have been. But ODU got two goals from Jolene Ulichney, a junior from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and one apiece from Delphine Le Jeune, Marlon De Bruijne, Evelyn Murray and Sacha De Gier to win going away.
JMU outshot ODU, 12-11, but the game was in part a blowout because the Monarchs got stellar play from goalkeeper Cam MacGillivray. The graduate student from Calgary, Alberta in Canada, stopped several point-blank shots and dove to stop others.
"In some ways it was closer than the score in terms of they had quite a bit of good opportunities," ODU coach Andrew Griffiths said. "I don't think the scoreboard necessarily reflected the flow of the game, but it reflected our good goaltending and our finishing."
Finishing off scoring chances was a problem for ODU (2-1) last weekend in a 3-2 overtime loss at William & Mary. The Monarchs followed up that game with a 3-2 upset of No. 14 Boston College on the road.
"We had a good win last week and didn't want to have a letdown after that," Griffiths said. "And we didn't.
"We know our goaltending was good. But our finishing has been a little spotty here and there. One of the challenges we had for our forwards was to take advantage of our opportunities.
"The forwards worked together a little more effectively and moved off the ball."
The game evoked mixed feelings for ODU forward Courtney Lynch a graduate student from Hickory High in Chesapeake. She played the last four seasons at JMU.
"I love JMU and all of the players and people on the coaching staff there," she said. "I knew it would be an emotional challenge for me because I have a heart there.
"But I knew (coming to ODU) would be an opportunity to grow."
The decision to transfer came after JMU failed to land a conference affiliation for this season, meaning the Dukes can't win a conference title.
"I really wanted the opportunity to compete for a championship," she said. "I really wanted the opportunity to win a conference ring.
"It also gave me an opportunity to be closer to home and to be around my family more."
ODU took a 2-0 lead in the first quarter on goals from Ulichney and Le Jeune, but then JMU's Cassidy Trittmatter knocked in a goal off a rebound early in the second period. MacGillivray knocked away two potential goals before Murray put ODU ahead, 3-1, a minute before halftime after taking a beautiful crossing pass from Ulichney.
De Gier put in a rebound shot for a 4-1 lead midway in the third, and Lynch had an assist on De Bruijne's goal that made it 5-1 nearly four minutes later. Brooke Gasser also had an assist for ODU. Ulichney closed the scoring putting one in off a deflection 77 seconds into the final period.
"This was really a good win," Lynch said. "We emphasize the importance of playing together and finishing. And we finished well."
The Monarchs visit American on Sunday, then host Columbia on September 9 at 11 a.m. at L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
ODU Field Hockey Team Blows Past JMU, 6-1, in Home Opener
