NORFOLK, Va. – #15 Old Dominion field hockey defeated Delaware, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
“What a great bounce back win after a tough loss on Friday,” Head Coach Andrew Griffiths said. “The team came out flying in the first quarter and played excellent team hockey, and got the rewards from it with three goals early. They were having fun, you could tell. Delaware is a good team, and we knew they would provide a challenge. They came back, and we took our foot off the gas a bit, allowing them to come back and create chances.”
Sofia Marciano opened the game with a goal under six minutes into play. Old Dominion (4-2) was awarded two penalty corners following, and Serena Langendoen found the goal on the second one with help from Cosmia Perlith to make the score 2-0 Monarchs. With under four minutes remaining in the first quarter, Autumn Busby scored her first collegiate goal to extend ODU’s lead over Delaware (2-4), 3-0.
The Blue Hens had a goal taken back after their first corner of the game, though Alexa Michielsen put her team on the board on a second corner attempt, with assists coming from Ella Cellini and Kate Fiest. Despite the Monarchs grabbing two corners before halftime, no one was able to score, leaving ODU up 3-1.
Both teams were quiet in the third quarter, with only two corners being awarded, and both went to Old Dominion. Delaware did, however, outshoot ODU, 6-0, as the fourth quarter began with the Monarchs still up, 3-1.
Delaware cut the score to 3-2 thanks to Feist off of a penalty corner. Both teams had two more penalty corners before ODU was awarded a penalty stroke, where Madison Zalewski scored to secure Old Dominion’s 4-2 win, as Delaware was unable to score off of two more corners.
The Blue Hens outshot the Monarchs 15-10 and had nine corners to ODU’s seven. However, Old Dominion led in saves with six to Delaware’s two.
Marciano, Langendoen, Busby, and Zalewski tied in goals scored with one each, while Josie Panter and Perlith each recorded an assist. Langendoen also led the team in shots with four.
Alexa Murphy collected six saves with two goals allowed in her first collegiate win as a starter.
“Alexa did a nice job in goal for us, which was important, and we hung in there defensively,” Griffiths added. “Maddie scored a clinical goal to give us a two-goal cushion near the end of the game. And another positive is that we scored four goals, and four different players scored for us. It is great to get quality contributions from so many on the field. It was a team win."
UP NEXT
Old Dominion hosts St. Louis on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 11 a.m. at the L.R Hill Sports Complex.