COLUMBUS, Ohio - Old Dominion field hockey secured a 7-0 shutout against Bellarmine Saturday afternoon at Buckeye Varsity Field. Sofia Marciano recorded two goals and Serena Langendoen, Isabella Decesaris, Josie Painter, Anna Riesser and Geraldine Daenekindt each added one.
“It’s tough physically and mentally to play 2 games in less than 24 hours, so I’m proud of our team for the weekend’s performance,” said head coach Andrew Griffiths.”Six different players scored today, which tells a story on its own. It was a team win, and at the other end we had a shutout! This is a reflection of where our team dynamic has been”.
The Monarchs (2-0) opened the game with shots from Marciano and Decesaris against Bellarmine (0-1) goalkeeper Megan Clauser. Langendoen scored the first goal of the game after connecting with Nicolette Saccomandi and Painter to give ODU a 1-0 lead. Decesaris followed with a shot that was stopped by Clauser, while a penalty corner from Painter was cleared by the Knights' defense. A Bellarmine penalty corner resulted in a shot by Brooke Buchanan that was denied by the ODU defense. At the nine-minute mark, Riesser found the back of the net for the second Monarch goal of the game, increasing ODU's lead to 2-0. A wide shot from Daenekindt and a penalty corner from Painter and Decesaris were stopped by the Knights' defense to end the first quarter.
To start the second quarter, an ODU penalty corner resulted in the Monarchs' third goal, with Painter scoring off an assist from Marciano at the 18-minute mark. Just under two minutes later, Daenekindt found the back of the net for the fourth Monarch goal, giving ODU a 4-0 lead. Shortly after, Marciano found the back of the net to increase the score to 5-0 at the 21:06 mark. A Bellarmine penalty corner was blocked by the Monarchs' defense before the Knights found Cami Paris for a shot. The attempt was saved by Broers to send the game to halftime.
After the break, Bellarmine swapped goalkeepers, with Martha Hoefer entering the game. An ODU penalty corner from Painter connected with Langendoen for a shot that was blocked by the Knights' defense before Marciano found the back of the net to give the Monarchs a 6-0 lead. Daenekindt attempted a shot against Hoefer, but the Knight goalkeeper made the save. Josi John and Marciano followed with three shots, but none found the back of the net. At the 41-minute mark, Marciano's shot was saved by Hoefer, followed by a wide shot from Decesaris.
In the final quarter, ODU's Avery Jackson and Riesser saw their shots go wide of the Knights' cage with 10 minutes remaining. A shot from Bellarmine's Buchanan was blocked by the Monarchs' defense but following a video review, Bellarmine was awarded a penalty corner. Buchanan's attempt and a shot by Amy Stripling were both saved by Broers. With just under two minutes remaining, Decesaris beat Hoefer for the final Monarch goal of the game, securing the 7-0 shutout victory.
“We will get some well deserved rest in the next couple of days, and work hard on some areas that we need to grow in, preparing for more good games next week,” added Griffiths.
The Monarchs outshot the Knights 24-7 and held a 9-4 advantage in penalty corners. Broers recorded three saves, while Clauser made three saves and Hoefer made four.
UP NEXT
The Monarchs head to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to face Princeton at Karen Shelton Stadium on Friday, Sept. 4, at 3 p.m.