DATE: Sunday, September 14, 1997            TAG: 9709140251

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C11  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   46 lines

ODU CRUSHES PENN STATE, 8-1

Penn State was supposed to be the first test for Old Dominion's field hockey team.

The Nittany Lions had taken two-time defending NCAA Division I national champion North Carolina to overtime, before losing a season opener 6-5. They were ODU's first ranked opponent, entering the season at No. 7 in the Women's Sports Illustrated preseason poll.

But Saturday at Foreman field, the Monarchs had all the answers in an 8-1 decimation that has become the team's calling card. ODU - ranked second behind North Carolina in the poll - has now outscored its five opponents 44-2.

And as they have in every outing, the Monarchs (5-0 overall, 2-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association) took their opponent out of the game early and never let them back in.

ODU got off two shots on goal in the contest's first minute and were up 1-0 less than five minutes into play when Marina DiGiacomo dribbled into the circle and passed to Kelly Driscoll - who beat Penn State keeper Jamie Smith with a slow-roller to the back board.

When the first half closed, ODU was up 5-0 and held a 19-1 shooting advantage.

``Individually, they were much stronger than we are,'' said Penn State coach Char Morett. ``Their speed with the ball is stronger.

``And I just don't know how you stop that girl from Argentina.''

A member of the Argentine national team, DiGiacomo was, indeed, upstoppable Saturday.

The redshirt freshman scored three times and dished out a pair of assists. She put her team up 2-0 with 27:29 left in the first half when she moved into the scoring circle and zig-zagged her way through three defenders before easily beating Smith.

It was a scene Penn State saw far too many times.

``Penn State's good,'' said ODU coach Beth Anders. ``But when we had our times to capitalize, we did and they went in.''

ODU faces Northeastern - which beat the Monarchs 1-0 last year - at 1 p.m. today. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/The Virginian-Pilot

ODU's Heather Simon, left, scores with a shot past Penn State's

Heidi Landis, center, as Kim Miller looks on.

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