MATCH #12
WHO: ODU (6-4-1, 1-1-1) at South Alabama (7-3-1, 2-0-1)
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 4 – 7 p.m. ET
WHERE: Mobile, Ala.
SERIES RECORD: Series tied 0-0-2
LAST MEETING: Nov. 4, 2022 - ODU 0, USA 0 (ODU wins 4-3 in PKs) – in Foley, Ala.
STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: here
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion women’s soccer team will head to Mobile, Alabama this week for a 7 p.m. matchup against the South Alabama Jaguars in a key Sun Belt Conference contest on Friday.
The game will have live stats and be streamed on ESPN+.
These teams did not play last season but played twice in a month during the 2022 season with both ending in draws. The regular season contest in Norfolk on October 2 as Carla Morich scored two goals including the game-tying goal in the 73rd minute as the teams ended in a 2-2 draw.
On November 3 at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, the teams played 120 minutes of scoreless soccer before Ece Turkoglu put in the deciding penalty kick as ODU advanced with a 4-3 win in penalties.
ODU returns to action after a tough 3-2 loss at James Madison on Sunday night. Ashlynn Kulha had the first goal for the Monarchs off a header from a service into the box by Andrea Balcazar Algarin in the first half. Rhea Kijowski brought the Monarchs to 3-2 after a header five minutes into the second half from a Katie McCormick service.
South Alabama defeated Georgia State 3-1 on Sunday in Atlanta as Laurie-Ann Moise, Mae Hunt and Irene Campo each scored goals. Monique Gray assisted on all three tallies for the Jaguars.
ABOUT ODU
Ashlynn Kulha was named on Tuesday as the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week after marshalling a defensive unit that held the league’s leading scoring team to four shots in ODU’s 1-0 win over ULM on Thursday. She added her first goal of the season on Sunday in a loss at JMU.
Kulha has played all 90 minutes in each of the 11 games thus far in 2024. Heading back to last season, she has played in 1,210 straight minutes with the final two games of 2023 going into double overtime. Throughout her career, she’s played every minute in 28 of 32 matches.
Through 11 contests, Kijowski leads the Monarchs with four goals and one assist for nine points. Brooke Edwards has two goals and one assist for five points, Katie Lutz has two goals for four points, while Yuliia Khrystiuk and Andrea Balcazar Algarin have one goal with two assists for four points each. Riley Mullen has one goal and one assist, with Gry Boe Thrysoe and Ashlynn Kulha adding one goal and Laura Klebek adding one assist.
In goal, Emily Bredek and Erin Jones have split time in the net. Bredek has recorded 19 saves in six games with a save percentage of .842 and a goals against average of 1.20 in 450 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 latest women’s soccer RPI rankings were released on Monday and ODU was 86th in the rankings. The Monarchs are the second highest ranked team in the Sun Belt Conference as JMU is 65th. South Alabama is third in the league in RPI at 95th.
In the Sun Belt statistics, ODU is ranked second in shutouts, fourth in shots and fifth in corner kicks. South Alabama is fourth in shutouts, sixth in shots and eighth in corner kicks. Kijowski is ranked second in the league in shots, shots per game, and fourth in goals scored while Khrystiuk is eighth in shots.
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 SOUTH ALABAMA
Campo leads the team in goals scored with six and points with 14. Her six goals shares the lead in the conference with three other players. Gray is next with four goals and four assists for 12 points, while April Lantaigne has one goal and four assists for six points.
In the net, Allison Luckhardt has started in all but one game for the Jaguars and sports a 1.40 goals against average, along with a .708 save percentage.
NEXT UP
The Monarchs will return to the home pitch on Thursday, October 10 for a 2 p.m. start against Georgia Southern.