ODU scores on corners to take Duke Down
Written By: Sarah Roby
Staff Writer
Sunday afternoon, the Old Dominion field hockey team beat the University of Duke Blue Devils 2-1 in a tough second-round NCAA Tournament game. The entire game moved fast and both teams played top notch. The Lady Monarchs and Duke passed with precision, positioned themselves well, and played hard the whole game. The key difference between the two was ODU had more corner opportunities that they excel at so well.
In the first half, Duke took the first shot on goal with about 28 minutes left in the half, with a block by Devon Seifert. At times, the game was rough and players were injured. Emma Batten, No.8, took a hard hit to the head while falling on a fast break away in the first half. Also in the second half, Batten was injured again and had to be taken out of the game.
ODU took their first corner with 17:42 remaining in the first half and missed the shot. Duke took their first corner with 11:30 remaining in the first half and missed the shot as well. Halftime came around and the game remained scoreless. ODU had three total shots with a corner and Duke had two total shots and a corner.
ODU started out strong in the second half, taking a shot within the first minute of the half, but missed. With 29 minutes and20 seconds on the clock for the second half, ODU got back-to-back cornersand finally recorded a goal. Rebecca Condie, No. 24, senior back, scored after a beautiful pass around the entire circle.
Duke tied the score when they got a corner with 17 minutes and 40 seconds left on the clock for the second half. With less than eight minutes left, the Lady Monarchs came back and scored again on a corner. Katie Nearhouse, No.20, scored on the corner after beautiful passing around the circle. ODU finished with nine total shots and five corners, while Duke had four shots and two corners.
The rest of the game was surrounded with an intense atmosphere, both teams were playing hard defense. As the clock ran out, tears flowed from both teams. Duke’s upset was a huge victory for ODU and the ladies rejoiced over their advancement in the NCAA tournament.
The Lady Monarchs travel to Louisville, KY to play in the semi-finals at Trager Stadium on Nov. 18. Winner will play in the Championship game on Nov. 20.
Photo By Jake Zimmerman
