The Monarchs advance to the SBC Championship Final on Saturday, November 14 at 8 p.m. and will take on the winner of top seeded James Madison and fifth seeded South Alabama who are currently playing each other.
“It was a very difficult and physical game tonight,” said ODU Head Coach Will Roberts. “I think as a group we know we didn’t play our best soccer tonight, but this group is capable of finding a way to win no matter the opponent, and that is something I love about our group. Two games in three days is very difficult, but we overcame the obstacle in front of us and now we turn our focus to the final!”
The Monarchs scored the game’s opening and eventual game-winning goal in the 50th minute of action. ODU earned a corner kick from the right wing and Koto Davis, an ambidextrous athlete, used her left foot to curl her cross towards Ashley Economopoulos. The Grantville, Pennsylvania native slotted it home in front of goal and took a 1-0 lead. Economopoulos scored with a glancing header to the bottom right corner of the net to beat App’s goalkeeper Hanna Skogsfords.
Seven minutes later, the Mountaineers had a golden opportunity to regain the lead. An App State midfielder delivered a pass into the middle of the box, but her strike was blocked by ODU’s Dylan McEntarfer. The deflected pass fell right to the feet of Maddie Williams in front of goal with only Ellie Goodrich to beat. The Sun Belt’s Goalkeeper of the Year got down to her right side without hesitation and got a glove on the ball to make the save. The attempt was the Mountaineers' only shot on goal of the night.
Old Dominion had four shots in the first 45 minutes of action, but one attempt was able to force App’s Skogsfords into making a save. ODU held the Mountaineers to zero shot attempts while both teams each had one corner.
Sydney Somers had the first chance of the night in the 25th minute but her attempt flew off the mark from just inside the box. Eight minutes later, Riley Mullen snapped onto the ball in the Mountaineers’ final third and fired her attempt away from Skogsfords’ net. Davis had the next shot attempt in the 39th minute but it went wayward. Hannah Morgan tested Skogsfords for the first time in the 41st minute with a low driven shot. But App State’s keeper was positioned well to make the stop and keep the score level at the halftime break.
The Monarchs outshot the Mountaineers, 7-2, in the second half and finished the game with 11 shot attempts to App’s two. App State ended the game with a +1-corner kick differential with four attempts.
Libby Holmes, Ashlynn Kulha, McEntarfer, and Madison Telmer all played the entire game for Old Dominion. Somers, Davis, and Reese Kulha each had two shot attempts to tie for a team high on the night. Economopoulos scored her seventh goal of the season and improved her season’s point tally to 15. Davis provided her second assist and notched her second point of the season.
Goodrich kept her ninth clean sheet this season and made one save in 90 minutes of action between the sticks. App’s Skogsfords played 90 minutes, made two saves, and conceded a goal.
UP NEXT:
Old Dominion faces the winner of James Madison and South Alabama on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex.