NORFOLK, Va. – On a night that started with fireworks in the first half from a nearby Homecoming event, the Old Dominion women’s soccer team made their own fireworks in the second half.
Senior Rhea Kijowski banged in two rebounded shots in the span of five minutes as Old Dominion knocked off Texas State 2-0 in a key Sun Belt Conference matchup on Senior Night for the Monarchs.
“This is a big win for us tonight on a big evening for our seniors. I thought we were really good, and it was a full team performance. The first half they put us under a lot of pressure, but we managed to deal with it and made some adjustments at halftime. The first 10-15 minutes of the second half is exactly what you want from your team as a coach. They came out on fire,” said ODU Head Coach Angie Hind.
It marks the second straight game that Kijowski recorded a brace with her two goals and moves her into a tie for 10th place on ODU’s single-season goals scored list with nine.
Not only was the win for ODU (9-4-2, 4-1-2) their eighth clean sheet of the season, and their third in their last four matches, but they also snapped a 10-game unbeaten streak for Texas State (8-4-4, 4-1-2). The win was also the second for ODU over the leader of the West Division as they blanked then-leading South Alabama on October 4 on the road.
A first half that saw both teams with waves of pressure, but no one could find the back of the net. Barely a minute into the second half that changed as Yuliia Khrystiuk blasted a shot that Texas State goalkeeper Caitlyn Draper saved, but the rebound landed at the feet of Kijowski who ripped it into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead 56 seconds into the half.
ODU kept the pressure going and it paid dividends at 50:57 of the second half. Riley Mullen let one loose that bounced off the crossbar onto the feet of Kijowski who popped it into the net for her second tally of the night and a 2-0 ODU advantage.
On the night, Texas State did outshoot the Monarchs 11-9 as each team had a pair of corner kicks. Senior Emily Bredek recorded her fourth clean sheet of the season making six saves.
“I am delighted with the goals we scored, the manner we did, and again we were so resilient and compact to deal with the pressure that a good team like Texas State put on us. It’s a fantastic result, happy to enjoy this with our seniors. Now we get a chance to recover and look forward to next week,” Hind added.
ODU closes out their home slate on Wednesday hosting Marshall at 6 p.m.