THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 28, 1996 TAG: 9610280149
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRIAN J. FRENCH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 35 lines
Even the end of Daylight Savings Time couldn't keep the Lady Monarchs from being half-awake Sunday.
The third-ranked Old Dominion field hockey team spent the first half of its game against Virginia trying to snap out of the doldrums. By the time the Lady Monarchs did, the Cavaliers had already scored three goals en route to a 4-0 romp at Foreman Field.
The No. 4 Cavaliers (16-2) avenged a 2-1 overtime loss to the Lady Monarchs in last season's NCAA first-round tournament game, and in the process dealt Old Dominion one of its worst home losses in the program's history.
``It's hard not to think about revenge after last year's game,'' said Virginia coach Missi Sanders. ``That type of game really leaves a bad taste in your mouth.''
Freshman forward Meredith Elwell led the way for Virginia with three goals, including Virginia's first two in a six-minute span midway through the first half. She also assisted on Meredith Thorpe's first-half goal.
``This was a very important win'' said Elwell, who tallied the hat trick with an empty-net goal with 38 seconds left in the game. ``We watched them (ODU) yesterday (against North Carolina) and thought about how to control the tempo of the game. We really stepped up today.''
The Lady Monarchs played more aggressively in the second half, but they never figured out Virginia netminder Michelle Cusimano, who preserved the shutout with three late saves.
ODU ends the weekend with two losses to national contenders and a 1-for-21 conversion rate on penalty corners (the Lady Monarchs were 0-for-9 Sunday).
``We'll have to look back at these two games and regroup,'' midfielder Danielle Chellew said. by CNB