MATCH #13
WHO: ODU (8-4-1, 3-1-1) vs. Georgia State (1-7-5, 0-2-3)
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 13 – 4 p.m.
WHERE: Atlanta, Ga.
SERIES RECORD: ODU leads 7-4-1
LAST MEETING: Nov. 1, 2023 – ODU 1, Georgia State 0 – in Foley, Ala.
STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: here
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion women’s soccer team finishes off their Georgia portion of the schedule on Sunday afternoon visiting Georgia State for a 4 p.m. kick.
The game will have live stats and be streamed on ESPN+.
Last season these teams played to a 0-0 draw in Norfolk on October 22 in a match that enabled ODU to clinch the Eastern Division title. Emily Bredek had six saves in the match and set a school single season record for shutouts with her 10th.
They followed that meeting with a 1-0 ODU win on November 1 in the Sun Belt Tournament Quarterfinals in Foley, Alabama. Ashlynn Kulha scored off a corner kick by Anna Torslov in the 84th minute to advance in the tournament.
ODU won its second straight 1-0 decision with a victory over Georgia Southern on a Rhea Kijowski goal in the 14th minute on Thursday. Bredek recorded three saves in recording her third shutout of the season. As a team the Monarchs now have seven clean sheets on the season and lead the league in goals allowed average at 0.85.
ABOUT ODU
Ashlynn Kulha earned her second straight Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week award on Tuesday after marshaling a backline unit that allowed only one shot on goal to South Alabama in a 1-0 win on Friday night. The win for the Monarchs snapped a six-game unbeaten streak for South Alabama and was the sixth clean sheet of the season which ties for the league lead.
Kulha has played all 90 minutes in each of the 13 games thus far in 2024. Heading back to last season, she has played in 1,390 straight minutes with the final two games of 2023 going into double overtime. Throughout her career, she’s played every minute in 30 of 34 matches.
Through 13 contests, Kijowski leads the Monarchs with five goals and one assist for 11 points. Brooke Edwards has two goals and one assist for five points, while Andrea Balcazar Algarin joins her with five points after one goal and three assists. Katie Lutz has two goals for four points, while Yuliia Khrystiuk has one goal with two assists also for four points. Klebek and Riley Mullen have one goal and one assist each, with Gry Boe Thrysoe and Ashlynn Kulha adding one goal apiece.
In goal, Bredek and Erin Jones have split time in the net. Bredek has recorded 23 saves in eight games with a save percentage of .793 and a goals against average of 0.86 in 630 minutes. Jones has made 15 saves in seven games with a .750 save percentage and a goals against average of 0.83 in 539 minutes. The Monarchs have had seven clean sheets thus far in 2024.
The latest women’s soccer RPI rankings were released on Friday and ODU’s win over Georgia Southern pushed them up three spots to 63rd. They are the highest ranked team in the Sun Belt with James Madison behind them at 67th and South Alabama next at 80th.
In the Sun Belt statistics, ODU is ranked tied for first in shutouts, lead in goals against average, fourth in shots and fifth in corner kicks. Georgia State is third in saves and eighth in corner kicks. Kijowski is ranked second in the league in shots, shots per game, fifth in goals scored and sixth in goals scored per game.
Bredek and Kulha were named to the preseason All-Sun Belt Conference team, while the Monarchs were picked to finish first by the league coaches. Click here for that release.
ABOUT GEORGIA SOUTHERN
The Panthers enter the game after a 1-0 loss at James Madison on Wednesday night on a goal in the 23rd minute by Ginny Lackey.
Georgia State has tied Marshall (1-1), Troy (0-0) and App State (1-1), while losing to South Alabama (3-1) and JMU.
Aaliyah Faddoul leads the team in scoring with four goals and three assists for 11 points, while Taylor Vance is next with two goals and four points. As a team in 13 matches they have been outscored 26-10.
In the net, Jaddah Foos sports a .698 save percentage, with 60 saves in 13 matches and has a 2.00 goals against average.
NEXT UP
The Monarchs will celebrate Senior Night on October 18 facing Texas State at 7 p.m. at the ODU Soccer Stadium.