NORFOLK Va. - The Old Dominion field hockey team won its first game of the season on Sunday with a 6-0 triumph over William & Mary.
Coming off of a tough loss in overtime against VCU this past Friday, the Monarchs came back strong and ready to play against the Tribe, the Monarchs came out strong with a trio of goals in the first period from Josie Painter, Cosima Perleth and Mackenzie Olsommer which marks their first points as a Monarch.
“We were pleased with how the group responded after Friday. Today was about executing our game plan with energy and discipline, and I think we did that well. It was a good step forward for us.” Said ODU Head Coach Andrew Griffiths.
ODU got on the board as Painter knocked in a rebound off a shot from Amelie Zielcke for the 1-0 lead. Perleth made it 2-0 less than two minutes later off an assist from Avery Jackson.
With back-to-back penalty corner passes and shots by Zielck, Perleth, and a shot from Freshman Isabella Decesaris, Olsommer was able to connect with Sian Emslie and slot it in the net to finish out the first quarter.
ODU continued to test the W&M goalkeeper Alexandra de Jesus in the second period with shots by Emslie, Zalewski, and Painter, but ODU outshot W&M 4-2 in the second quarter but could not find the back of the net and took a 3-0 lead into the break.
With a penalty corner to Serena Langendoen, Zeilcke was able to find Perleth with an open look to beat the W&M keeper with another Monarch tally followed by a barrage of shots the rest of the quarter.
Two Tribe players were booked with green cards early in the fourth quarter, and a third player was shown a yellow card with less than five minutes left in the game. The Monarchs took advantage with two more goals from Emslie making it 5-0 ODU with four minutes left while Josi John completed the scoring in the final minute for a 6-0 final.
“We’re proud of the way our team rebounded. We focused on being sharper in both circles, and it showed. William & Mary competed hard, and games like these give us valuable lessons as we continue to build momentum.” Said Coach Griffiths
Five different ODU players found their way into the scoring column, with Perleth notching her first two goals as a Monarch. Molkenboar took a team-high eight shots, followed by Emslie with seven and Zielcke with five. Suus Broers played the full 60 minutes for her first clean sheet of the season.
ODU outshot the Tribe, 37-3 and took 14 penalty corners without conceding one to the visitors. With the win, the Monarchs improve to 56-21 in the all-time series.
The Monarchs head on the road as they take on Princeton on September 5 at 5 p.m.