LYNCHBURG, Va. - Old Dominion field hockey fell 4-1 to No. 20 UConn Friday evening in Lynchburg at the Liberty Field Hockey Field during the BIG EAST Semifinals, Sian Emslie recorded the lone goal for the Monarchs.
“We didn’t play our best game this afternoon, so it is a tough way for the season to end.
However, I am proud that we kept working and competing hard right until the end. That’s who we are as a team, no matter what the scoreline is.” Said ODU Head Coach Andrew Griffiths
The first quarter opened with the Monarchs (8-9, 5-2 BIG EAST) fouling, giving the Huskies (16-2, 7-0) the first penalty corner of the game. Inserted by Sol Simone, she connected with Fien Hollander and was blocked by the Monarch defense. Another Huskie penalty corner was inserted by Simone who connected with Hollander, broken up by the Monarch defense, followed by a shot by Simone which ODU goalkeeper Suus Broers saved. Two more Huskie penalty corners inserted by Milou Heuker connected with Julia Bressler and Prins, but were scattered by the Monarch defense and saved by Broers.
At the start of the second, the Huskies opened with a penalty corner inserted by Simone which was saved by Broers. Off the rebound, Prins found the ball for their first goal in just under two minutes of the start of the quarter. In response seven minutes later, ODU’s Emslie found the back of the net with an assist by Isabella Decesaris to even the score. A foul on the Monarchs caused a penalty corner for the Huskies. Inserted by Simone on the right side, she connected with Simone for the Huskies second goal as the time ran out on the clock, giving UConn a 2-1 halftime lead.
After the break, a series of green cards were dished to each team, taking players off the field. A foul on ODU caused a penalty corner for the Huskies, with Simone inserting she connected with Hollander for the Huskies third goal in the seventh minute of the third quarter. A shot by UConn’s Julia Bressler was saved by Broers, and another green card on UConn closed the third quarter.
In the final quarter, a green card on ODU’s Sanci Molkenboer sat her for two minutes while a foul on UConn caused an ODU penalty corner. Inserted by Madison Zalewski, she connected with Emslie who took a shot at the Huskies keeper Natalie McKenna who was able to save it. Off the rebound, ODU’s Avery Jackson took another shot which McKenna saved. Another Monarch corner was sent by Zalewski which missed the inserter, followed by a second which had no outcome as well. A shot by Bressler was saved by Broers, then seconds later a shot by Abby Davidson made it past Broers for their fourth just under the 10-minute mark. An ODU penalty corner was inserted by Molkenboer who connected with Langendoen for the shot which was saved by McKenna. A shot by Molkenboer was saved by UConn’s keeper Avianna Wagner ended the game in the Huskies favor.
“We just didn’t play clean and sharp enough today. We didn’t move the ball quickly to open the field up and we were not dangerous in attack first half. Connecticut played well, but we gave them opportunities with some mistakes and a lack of focus.
And in the end, the game came down to corners. They scored three of them, and we didn’t score any.” Added Griffiths
The Huskies advance to the BIG EAST Finals where they will face No. 1 seed Liberty.
The Monarchs recorded five shots and four corners, while the Huskies shot 16 with seven corners. In the net, Broers recorded six saves, while McKenna and Wagner recorded four together.
“I want to thank our senior group who have worked and represented ODU so well. And I’m proud of our team’s persistence through the season.”