MATCH #13
WHO: ODU (7-4-1, 2-1-1) vs. Georgia Southern (5-7-1, 2-2-0)
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 10 – 2 p.m.
WHERE: Norfolk, Va.
SERIES RECORD: ODU leads 2-1
LAST MEETING: Nov. 3, 2023 – ODU 2, Georgia Southern 1 – in Foley, Ala.
STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: here
NORFOLK, Va. – Coming off the heels of a thrilling 1-0 win on Friday night over South Alabama, the Old Dominion women’s soccer team hits the home pitch for a 2 p.m. kick against Georgia Southern on Thursday afternoon.
The game will have live stats and be streamed on ESPN+.
These teams played twice in 2023 with the Monarchs taking both encounters. The regular season match in Statesboro saw ODU take a 2-1 win as all three goals were scored in an 18-minute span of the second half. Riley Mullen got the Monarchs on the board in the 49th minute and Megan Watts got the game-winner in the 66th minute.
On November 3 at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, ODU scored twice in 51 seconds and held on for a 2-1 win. Rhea Kijowski scored at 12:39 off a feed from Thalia Morisi and Morisi took a feed from Katie Lutz at 13:30 for a 2-0 lead. Georgia Southern cut the deficit in half at 24:49 by Ansleigh Crenshaw.
ODU returns to the home pitch after a thrilling 1-0 win at South Alabama on Friday night. Laura Klebek scored with 2:46 remaining off a touch pass from Katie McCormick for the lone tally. The Monarchs snapped a six-match unbeaten streak by South Alabama and held them to one shot on goal on the night.
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 12 games thus far in 2024. Heading back to last season, she has played in 1,300 straight minutes with the final two games of 2023 going into double overtime. Throughout her career, she’s played every minute in 29 of 33 matches.
Through 12 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. Klebek and Riley Mullen have one goal and one assist each, with Gry Boe Thrysoe and Ashlynn Kulha adding one goal apiece.
In goal, Emily Bredek and Erin Jones have split time in the net. Bredek has recorded 20 saves in seven games with a save percentage of .769 and a goals against average of 1.00 in 540 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 six clean sheets thus far in 2024.
The latest women’s soccer RPI rankings were released on Monday and ODU’s win over South Alabama propelled them up 20 spots to 66th in the rankings. The Monarchs are the second highest ranked team in the Sun Belt Conference as JMU is 64th. South Alabama is third in the league in RPI at 87th.
In the Sun Belt statistics, ODU is ranked tied for first in shutouts, third in goals against average, fourth in shots, and fifth in corner kicks. Georgia Southern is fourth in corner kicks and goals against average, fifth in shots and goals. Kijowski is ranked second in the league in shots, shots per game, and seventh in goals scored.
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 Eagles come into the contest after a 1-0 win over Marshall on Sunday afternoon. Smith Cathey scored in the 66th minute and Georgia Southern made it stand in the road win.
Georgia Southern has split four league contests winning at Marshall (1-0) and at Arkansas State (2-0), while losing at home to App State (2-1) and Coastal Carolina (2-1).
Cathey leads the team in scoring with five goals and three assists for 13 points. Her five goals puts her tied for fourth in the league. Claire Casey is next with three goals and one assist for seven points. Erin Wilkins leads the team with five assists and shares the lead in the league with that total.
In the net, Katie Oakley has started in 10 of 13 matches with a save percentage of .771 and a 1.17 goals against average.
NEXT UP
The Monarchs will finish off the Georgia portion of their schedule facing Georgia State in Atlanta on October 13 at 4:00 p.m.