It’s nearly October, and conference play is getting serious for our Fall Sports programs. Men’s Soccer is STILL unbeaten, Field Hockey is back on track with a pair of wins and we have several big matchups on campus over the next week. Get everything you need right here, in the ODU Sports Round Up.
Men’s Soccer
Karan Mandair’s penalty kick in the 53rd minute proved to be the game winner as Old Dominion knocked off Kentucky for their first conference win of the season. It’s their first win against the Wildcats since 2017 and extends their unbeaten streak to eight.
Sun Belt Home Opener ✅
3 Points & Clean Sheet ✅#ODUSports | #ReignOn pic.twitter.com/S8JuCchikN— ODU Men's Soccer (@ODUMensSoccer) September 25, 2023
Michael Statham racked up four saves to preserve the shutout, his third clean sheet of the campaign.
ODU Head Coach Alan Dawson said after the game “Proud of the boys, they really fought hard and dug down deep. That was a blue collar win.”
The Monarchs are back in action Saturday night when they host Coastal Carolina at 7pm. On Tuesday, Campbell University comes to town for a 7pm contest, their final non-conference opponent of the regular season.
Field Hockey
The Monarchs picked up a pair of much needed wins over the weekend. Friday afternoon, Sanci Molkenboer found the back of the cage just before halftime to give ODU a 1-0 over 19th ranked Temple. The Monarch defense took over from there, holding the Owls to just one shot on goal for the game, which was saved by Suus Broers.
On Sunday in Norfolk, without the looming threat of a tropical storm, ODU shutout William and Mary 4-0. Marlon de Bruijne opened the scoring by converting a penalty stroke in the first quarter.
Nicole Fredricks scored on a pass from Frederique Zandbergen and pushed the lead to 2-0 before halftime. That’s Nicole’s first goal of the season and her performance over the two games earned her Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors.
The Monarchs added two fourth quarter goals in a two minute span to seal their fourth victory on the season.
Check out these highlights from the William and Mary game along with insight from Associate Head Coach Natalie Holder and her special advisor. Bonus viewing, Brock Gagliardi’s flow.
ODU heads to Providence on Friday for a 2pm Big East contest.
Women’s Soccer
Old Dominion’s unbeaten streak came to an end on Thursday with a 1-0 loss to Louisiana. The Monarchs held a 21-8 edge in shots, 12 of those on goal for ODU, but they could not break through.
After the game, Head Coach Angie Hind talked about the offense. “Despite the chances we had we couldn’t hit the net and that was a big issue for us tonight. We had to convert some of these chances,”
Louisiana’s goal came on a breakaway in the 53rd minute.
The Monarchs were able to bounce back quickly, picking up a 2-1 Sun Belt road win over Georgia Southern on Sunday.
After a scoreless first half, Riley Mullen took a pass from Aleigha Arndt, blew past the defense and buried a shot in the corner of the net, giving ODU a 1-0 advantage.
The Eagles, who won the Sun Belt regular season title in 2022, answered just six minutes later to tie the game.
Megan Watts put the Monarchs ahead for good in the 66th minute, finishing top shelf to beat the keeper.
ODU welcomes Southern Miss on Saturday for a 2pm Sun Belt Contest.
Volleyball
Old Dominion split a road series with Marshall to open Sun Belt play.
The Monarchs took the first matchup on Thursday 3-1 before falling in straight sets on Friday.
After Thursday’s contest, Head Coach Fred Chao said, “Every conference match is going to be a battle. We certainly had our ups and downs. Marshall made some very effective changes throughout and it felt like we were catching up at times. But we had strong contributions from the usual suspects as well as Bryanna Jones off the bench. We have to work harder at a couple aspects of the game tomorrow.”
Teresa Atilano was named Sun Belt Conference Setter of the Week. The senior led the conference this week with 130 assists while averaging 10.83 per set, and recording a double-double in all three matches. Teresa leads the Nation with 596 assists this season and ranks eighth in service aces with 30. She is just 50 assists away from 3,000 for her career.
The Monarchs host Georgia Southern for a pair of matches this weekend. Friday start time is 6:30pm with the finale on Saturday at 2pm.
Men’s Tennis
ODU started their Fall schedule with a great showing at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club Collegiate Invitational over the weekend.
Codie van Schalkwyk was named the champion in Singles action, going 3-0 for the event.
Women’s Golf
The Monarchs finished 14th at the Lady Paladin Invitational over the weekend. Carley Rudolf was ODU’s top finisher, tying for 24th with a four-over par.