Women's Soccer Closes August At Virginia Tech Thursday

MATCH #5
WHO: ODU (4-0-0) at Va. Tech (2-1-1)
WHEN: 5 p.m. – Thursday
WHERE: Thompson Field – Blacksburg, Va.
STREAM: here
LIVE STATS: here
 
NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion women's soccer team closes out the month of August on Thursday night as they head to Blacksburg to tangle with the Virginia Tech Hokies at 5 p.m.
 
ODU (4-0-0) enters the match off a 2-0 "City of Richmond Week" with wins at VCU (2-0) and at home over Richmond (1-0). Against VCU, Thalia Morisi scored in the 37th minute and Rhea Kijowski added the insurance goal in the 67th minute for the Monarchs. In the Richmond match, Ashlynn Kulha volleyed in one in the 10th minute and the Monarchs made it stand in the 1-0 win.
 
Virginia Tech (2-1-1) come into the contest on the heels of a 2-1 loss to 20th-ranked Georgetown on Sunday. The Hoyas goal was the first one allowed by the Hokies this season after defeating Butler and James Madison (3-0) and tying Indiana (0-0) in between.
 
ABOUT ODU
Kulha was announced on Tuesday as the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week after her performance in the wins over VCU and Richmond.
 
Morisi and Ece Turkoglu lead the Monarchs in goals scored with two each. Turkoglu has added one assist to take the team lead in points with five, while Morisi has four. A quartet of players have three points as Kulha, Kijowski, Andrea Balcazar Algarin and Anna Torslov each have scored one goal and have one assist.
 
In the net, Emily Bredek has recorded all four shutouts with three of them being solo clean sheets. The three solo shutouts matches her season total from last year when she was 4-3-2 for the Monarchs.
 
RARE AIR
Through the first two weeks of the season, the Monarchs are one of five teams nationally to have not allowed a goal in four matches and of the five teams, are the only one to be 4-0. It is the longest streak to start a season in program history.
 
RARE AIR TAKE 2
With the four shutouts to start the season, it marked the fourth time in the 30-year history of ODU Women's Soccer that the Monarchs have won their first four matches. It also marks the fourth time that ODU has recorded four or more straight shutouts. The longest streak of consecutive shutouts is five, accomplished in both 2018 and 2021. 
Sunday's win was the first time since 2008 that ODU has won the first four games of the season with the best start coming in 2006 when the Monarchs started the year a perfect 8-0. 

ABOUT VIRGINIA TECH
Natalie Mitchell leads the Hokies in scoring through four matches with two goals and one assist for five points. Samantha DeGuzman and Anna Weir have scored one goal and recorded one assist apiece for three points.
 
In the net, Alia Skinner has made 16 saves with a .941 save percentage in four matches.
 
HISTORY
Virginia Tech leads the all-time series 10-2 after winning 3-0 on September 1, 2022 in Norfolk. The Hokies have won six in a row, with the last ODU win coming on September 11, 1999 by a 2-0 decision in Norfolk.
 
UP NEXT
ODU returns home to face William & Mary at 6 p.m. on Sunday at the ODU Soccer Stadium.