Old Dominion Tops Michigan 6-1 in NCAA Field Hockey First Round
RICHMOND, Va. (November 10, 2012) - Old
Dominion advanced to the second round of the NCAA Field Hockey Championship
Saturday afternoon after knocking off Michigan 6-1 in the first round in Chapel
Hill, N.C. CAA champion Drexel fell to second-seeded Princeton 5-0 in its first
round matchup in Charlottesville, Va., while CAA championship runner-up
Northeastern fell to third-seeded Connecticut 2-1 in double overtime in Storrs,
Conn.
ODU 6, Michigan 1 - NCAA Field Hockey Championship First
Round - Chapel Hill, N.C.
Senior forward Maartje van Rijswijk
tied an NCAA record for most goals in an NCAA tournament game, scoring five, to
lead the No. 8 Old Dominion University field hockey team to a 6-1 victory over Michigan
in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Francis E.
Henry Stadium.
Van Rijswijk led the Old Dominion (15-5,
7-0 CAA) attack from the outset, putting the Lady Monarchs on the board four
minutes into the game on a high shot over Wolverine goalkeeper Haley Jones. She
continued to light up the scoreboard with two more goals in the next 15 minutes
of play and then hit for the fourth time with six minutes left in the half
after scooping up the ball from a Michigan defender.
ODU sophomore midfielder Rosario
Villagra put the Lady Monarchs up 5-0 at the 45:20 mark after she carried the
ball into the circle and a shot into the left side of the cage. Michigan (15-7)
scored their lone goal 13 minutes when Rachael Mack scored off a rebounded
after the initial show was saved by redshirt senior goalkeeper Marla Petriello.
Van Rijswijk capped the ODU scoring at the 66:10 mark in the game on a deep
shot into the left side of the goal for her career-high fifth goal.
ODU will meet top-seeded North Carolina
on Sunday at 2 p.m. The winner advances to the NCAA Tournament semifinals,
hosted by Old Dominion on Friday, Nov. 16 at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex. The
Tar Heels defeated No. 16 Stanford, 4-1, on Saturday morning. The two teams
will be meeting for the third time this season, with UNC defeating ODU in the
previous two games.
#2 Princeton 5, Drexel 0 - NCAA Field Hockey Championship
First Round - Charlottesville, Va.
Drexel University's field hockey
program's historic season came to an end with a 5-0 loss to No. 2 Princeton
(18-1) in the opening round of its first ever automatic bid to the NCAA
Championships hosted at the University of Virginia. The Dragons held the Tigers
to one goal after the first 35 minutes of play, but Princeton went on a
four-goal spurt in the second half securing the lead until the game clock
expired. Drexel, the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Champions, finished the
season 15-7 overall (5-2 CAA).
Sophomore goalkeeper Jantien Gunter had
an outstanding performance tying her career-high with 12 saves along with a
great defensive effort by the Dragons. Drexel faced 28 shots and 13 penalty
corners on the day. Gunter concluded her first season as a starter with 128
stops, including six shutouts for the Dragons. Junior back Kristen Focht
finished the year with four defensive saves.
Saturday's game also marked the final
contest for Drexel's senior Amanda Fleischut. The CAA Championship's MOP led
the attack with 11 goals and eight assists for a team-high of 30 points.
Fleischut is now sixth on Drexel's all-time leaderboard with 26 goals and 18
career assists. She also ranks eighth with 70 career points. Junior Lindsay
McArdle had the most goals with 12 and finished the season second in scoring
with 27 points. Together, the Dragons faced nine nationally ranked programs and
outscored their opponents, 45-38, including 4-0 in overtime play this year.
#3 UCONN 2, Northeastern 1 (2OT) - NCAA Field Hockey
Championship First Round - Storrs, Conn.
Northeastern field hockey, charged with
visiting the third seed in the 2012 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament, more than
lived up to the challenge provided, but in the end, it was the Huskies donning
the navy and white of University of Connecticut who came away with the 2-1 double
overtime victory. NU (14-7, 5-2) was without CAA Player of the Year, Crystal
Poland, who was sidelined with an injury, but the Huskies hardly lacked in
intensity.
Northeastern got on the scoreboard
first, for the 14th time this season, behind a great team play following a
penalty corner. Lindsay Bennett inserted the ball and Nicky Graham stopped to
supposedly set up for Kate Carlson. But Carlson faked a shot, allowing the ball
to fall in Deirdre Duke's possession. The freshman wasted no time, rocketing
the ball passed UConn's Sarah Mansfield for the first goal of the game. The
score was the CAA Rookie of the Year's 14th of the season and gave NU
confidence and a nice cushion against a formidable team.
NU had a great opportunity to open the
second half when Caroline Judge fed the ball along the baseline into play, but
the circle was void of any Huskies on the attack. UConn then took possession
and made it count -- but not before Northeastern asserted its defensive
prowess.
UConn earned what amounted to be five
corners, all in a row, but the Red and Black's backs and goalkeeper Lizzie
Priest played every shot perfectly. In that sequence, what was undoubtedly NU's
finest defensive performance of the year, Priest had six saves and the defense
blocked four shots to prevent a UConn score.
Needing a breath, NU's Huskies called a
timeout at 13:03, but UConn came out determined to score. After earning their
10th corner of the day, the home Huskies finally squeezed one by Priest and the
defense, evening things up at 1-1 with just 10:15 left in regulation. UConn
kept the pressure on high in the remainder of the half, but couldn't seal it.
After UConn called its timeout with
11:14 left in the second overtime, the Huskies in navy took advantage of an NU
misstep and continued on a fastbreak into the circle. After a shot saved by
Priest, UConn's Vicky Arthur grabbed the rebound and sent home the game-winner,
advancing Connecticut into the Second Round, ending Northeastern's season all
in one shot. When all was said and done, UConn led in both offensive
categories, 30-7 in shots and 14-5 in penalty corners.
Northeastern's season ends with the
Huskies holding a 14-7 record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the 16th
time under head coach Cheryl Murtagh.