ODU beats Northeastern in CAA Championship
Written By: Kathryne Mason
Distribution Manager
Nationally ranked Old Dominion clinched their eleventh Colonial Athletic Association Championship for the second year in a row. The Lady Monarchs started off strong and did not hesitate to get up on the board first. No more than six minutes into the game, senior Rebecca Condie, who leads the team with assists, made a beautiful reverse stick pass from the far left side of the field, into the circle.
Northeastern keeper Lizzie Priest made the mistake of coming out to defend forward Emma Batten, but Batten was in the right place at the right time, waiting on the right side of the post to knock it in.
This past Friday night, Batten was named the 2011 CAA Field Hockey Player of the Year.
Less than five minutes later, Virginia Beach native Maarje van Rijswijk, being defended by four Northeastern players, carried the ball along the top baseline, somehow managed to keep the ball and get an unassisted goal.
This is Rijswijk’s tenth goal of the season, and fourth goal in five games. With just under 10 minutes to go, Old Dominion was awarded their second corner of the game.
Opting for a more traditional textbook style corner, Old Dominion did a simple push and hit play to put the Monarchs up three to nothing.
Coming out of halftime, Northeastern put more pressure on the Lady Monarchs, but by that time, it was already too late. The Lady Monarchs gave the Lady Huskies their first corner with a little over 11 minutes remaining in the game.
Northeastern would capitalize and get a goal from the corner. Senior Christy Longacre and freshmen Kelsey Smither both looked like they were going to clear the ball out, but from a lack of communication, senior Huskie Pam Aldridge would knock it in past Old Dominion keeper Devon Seifert.
Soon afterwards, Batten made a beautiful breakaway pass to freshmen Lydia Velzlan.The crowd of 200 strong gasped as Batten and Velzlan pushed forward to start an odd man rush. Batten crossed the ball into the circle, and just as Velzlan hit the ball, Priest came out to make the stop, keeping her Huskies at a four game differential.
Knowing that the Lady Huskies are weak in midfield, Lonagacre, Smither, Condie and senior Stephanie Kratzer would constantly push the Huskies in the middle and stop any play the Northeastern attempted to form. Longacre and Condie played an outstanding game.
Longacre, who normally plays back with Condie, found herself on more than one occasion with the chance to score. Every shot on goal that came from Longacre, Priest had to make some sort of improvable save.
Several times throughout the game, Northeastern would make a play and give themselves momentum, but the little bit of momentum they gained, Longacre and Condie would take away.
The Lady Monarchs would go on to score three more goals in a span of 15 minutes to win the game 5-1.With the win, Old Dominion improves their record to 20-2. This is Old Dominion’seleventh CAA Championship and head coach Beth Andersfourteenth. The field of 16 for the 2011 NCAA Division I field hockey tournament will take place at Trager Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky Nov. 18 and 20.
Photography By Jake Zimmerman
