LYNCHBURG, Va. - Old Dominion field hockey fell 1-0 to the #6 Liberty Flames Friday evening at Liberty’s Field Hockey Field.
The evening match started out with a penalty corner for the Monarchs (4-6, 2-1 BIG EAST) sent by Madison Zalewski to Serena Langendoen which Liberty’s (8-1, 3-0) goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin denied. A shot by Liberty’s Dara Semmartin was saved by ODU’s goalkeeper Suus Broers, followed by another by Paris-Gail Isaacs which was denied by the Monarch defense to end the first quarter.
In the second, a high shot from Liberty’s Zoe Gillard followed by two back-to-back penalty corners by Lou Combrinck. On the second attempt, she was able to connect with Semmartin to put one on the board for the Flames in the last minutes of the half to send it into the break.
The second half began with a series of substitutions from both sides of the field and a high shot from ODU’s Josie Painter ending the third quarter. At the start of the fourth, Broers recorded another save with a shot sent by Liberty’s Josefina Tomasi. Another penalty corner by Combrink was blocked by the Monarch defense and ended the quarter ending the match 1-0 in the Flames’ favor.
“It’s tough to play a game like this and come away empty handed.
Today we played with a mentality of grit and determination. From a team perspective, this is the type of performance we have been waiting for.
We defended tough as nails, and we countered dangerously. We also started to move the ball as the game went on. This led to a number of excellent goal scoring chances, including a three on one break in the attacking circle. We just couldn’t get clean shots on goal.
I’m proud of our team’s tenacity and how they played”. Added Head Coach Andrew Griffiths
The Monarchs recorded three shots, one on goal, and one corner while the Flames logged nine shots, five on goal, and four corners. Broers recorded four saves on the night, with Liberty’s Saint Martin recording one.
UP NEXT:
The Monarchs return to Norfolk to host #3 North Carolina at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start time.