DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9711020282

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: NORFOLK 

DATELINE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER     LENGTH:   47 lines

ODU PROVES A POINT BY ROUTING PRINCETON LAST YEAR'S FIELD HOCKEY PLAYOFF LOSS WASN'T FORGOTTEN. IT'S BEEN AVENGED.

As if their 4-3 overtime win over Old Dominion in last year's NCAA semifinals wasn't incentive enough, Princeton's field hockey team just had to throw a little gas on the fire.

Big mistake.

The Tigers scored early in the game's second minute, fueling seven unanswered Old Dominion goals that ignited a 10-3 victory Saturday at Foreman Field.

The Monarchs host two-time defending champion North Carolina at 1 p.m. today in the season finale. Top-ranked ODU (18-1) beat the No. 3 Tar Heels 5-4 in overtime earlier in the season.

Each time Princeton (11-3) scored Saturday, ODU responded with goals of its own.

``Our emotions were from how we played last year,'' said sophomore forward Kim Miller, who scored ODU's first three goals. ``I don't think any of it was out of revenge. We just wanted to prove that we are better than the team that was on the field last year.''

After Princeton's first goal, ODU was typically methodical on offense.

Miller tied it with 25:28 left in the first half when she deflected a penalty corner blast by Mimi Smith. Then, with 18:54 left in the period, she put her team ahead for good with a blistering shot from the right corner. She scored again less than a minute later after controlling the rebound of a shot by Marina DiGiacomo.

After Smith had a goal called off for being too high, DiGiacomo scored with 3:05 left in the half, and Sina Wulf made it 5-1 at the break when she poked in a loose ball in front of the Princeton cage.

``We did some things well today,'' ODU coach Beth Anders said. ``We were definitely very dangerous scoring.''

Kelly Driscoll and Heather Simon made it 7-1. And after Princeton's Kirsty Hale followed a rebound shot to cut the lead to 7-2, ODU responded quickly - with Wulf taking a pass from DiGiacomo 40 seconds later.

Princeton scored again with 15:17 left on Amy MacFarlane's penalty corner goal, only to have ODU rally back with goals by DiGiacomo and Sarah Augustine.

``This was important for us,'' said Joey Evans, a former Cox High teammate of Princeton's Hale and ODU's Miller. ``We were really disappointed in how we played them last year.

``And this is a big weekend for us to finish the season on. We're taking this as playoff preparation.''

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