THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 12, 1994 TAG: 9411120373
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
At the start of practice in August, Old Dominion field hockey coach Beth Anders told her team to forget what their predecessors had accomplished and challenged them to write their own stories.
But with five regular season losses - two at the hands of Colonial Athletic Association foes James Madison and American University - it looked as though the Monarchs had a severe case of writer's block.
Fortunately for Old Dominion, things came together at tournament time. The Monarchs, who for the first time went into the conference tournament as the underdog, upset top-seeded James Madison, 2-1, in overtime for their fourth CAA title in as many years. The win gave ODU an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament and a first-round bye.
The Monarchs (17-5-1) will host Iowa (14-7) in a quarterfinal game Sunday at 2 p.m.
``The competition in our conference is stronger than it has been,'' said Old Dominion senior back Sue Callahan. ``But we came out of it very satisfied.''
Callahan, a Princess Anne graduate, was around when ODU won national championships in 1991 and 1992 but hasn't been quite as satisfied in her final two seasons.
As a freshman and sophomore, she was a member of arguably the best teams in field hockey history. Those teams compiled a 51-0 record with 46 shutouts.
The Monarchs ran their winning streak to 66 games before suffering a 2-1 loss to Penn State early in the 1993 season. Old Dominion went on to drop three more games last fall, including a 1-0 decision to JMU in the first round of the NCAA tournament that marked the first time the Monarchs had ever lost to a CAA opponent.
But not to fear. Callahan says that last Sunday's win over JMU has rekindled the fighting tradition of old and has created a team that is capable of winning a national title.
``It was a stepping stone,'' the All-CAA pick said. ``We were very inconsistent. But we went in there to win it. We wanted to win. And we went in there and proved it to ourselves.''
Teammate Suzanne Dano agreed that the victory over the Dukes could be the turning point.
``I think it's lifted us as a team,'' the senior from Philadelphia said. ``It's totally brought us together.''
Even though they've finally jelled, the Monarchs - and especially Anders - aren't looking any further than Sunday's match against Big 10 champ Iowa, which defeated California-Berkeley, 3-2, in Thursday's opening round.
``We'll look at the final score and then move on,'' said Anders, who has coached Old Dominion to its 14th straight appearance in the tournament. ``At this point whoever you play is going to be good.''
However, Anders says that if her team executes the fundamentals it should come out on top.
``Tricks aren't going to win the game. Doing the simple and doing it together are what's going to win it,'' she said.
Callahan and Dano, who have an 85-9-3 record in their four-year stint at ODU, are hopeful but haven't packed their bags yet for a trip to Northeastern University, the home of this year's Final Four.
``It's in the back of our heads,'' Callahan said. ``And that's what we're shooting for. It's the dream of every field hockey player to make it to the Final Four.''
But this year, even winning the CAA seemed to be a dream. Despite seven national championships in the last 13 seasons, ODU isn't bothered by its newly acquired underdog status. The Monarchs are actually enjoying it.
``We don't have anything to prove,'' Dano said. ``It makes it more fun when you sneak up on them.''
And that's just how ODU will play the NCAA tournament. The Monarchs are 2-4 against teams in the tournament's field. But during the regular season, ODU beat Northwestern, 3-0, when ODU was ranked No. 8 in the country and Northwestern No. 2. JMU was ranked third and ODU fourth before the ODU win in the CAA final.
But the Monarchs fell to Penn State, 2-1 and lost twice to top-ranked UNC by a 1-0 margin. The second came during the final regular season game in the last 24 seconds of overtime.
And if the Monarchs pull off a victory over Iowa, they will meet the Tar Heels for the third time this year on Nov. 19 in the semifinals.
Anders isn't expecting the road to the Final Four to be easy.
``I guess being in this as long as I have been it, I know how hard it is to get there,'' she said. ``Everybody takes it for granted, but I have never taken it for granted.
``We're ready to fight for it. I don't know if the final result is as important as the process. But the players are going to remember the process whether they have the (championship) ring or not. They need to get their pens out and start writing.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Senior Sue Callahan played on two Old Dominion national championship
teams.
by CNB