Field Hockey Terriers Fall To No. 2 Old Dominion
September 30, 2000 | Field Hockey
BOSTON, MA (Sept. 30) - Marina DiGiacomo had a goal and two assists to lead No. 2-ranked Old Dominion University to a 7-1 victory over No. 15-ranked Boston University in a field hockey matchup at Nickerson Field on Sept. 30. The Terriers fall to 7-3 on the season, and Old Dominion improves to 10-1.
DiGiacomo, the leading scorer in the nation with 61 points in 11 games, got the Lady Monarchs on the board just 2:28 into the game beating Terrier goalkeeper Susan Harrington (Tuftonboro, NH) on a penalty stroke. Her four points were actually under her season points-per-game average of 5.7 entering the contest.
"She's outstanding," B.U. head coach Sally Starr said. "She is the most elite player in the country."
Old Dominion controlled much of the play in the first half, leading 6-0 at the break. Six different players scored for the Lady Monarchs, who outshot B.U. 24-1.
"The early first goal wasn't a big deal, but the third and fourth crushed us a little," said Starr.
The Terriers changed their gameplan in the second half and it paid immediate dividends. Sophomore forward Christina Strauss (Newburyport, MA) scored her third goal of the season on a pass from Kelly Clothier (Philadelphia, PA), to get the Terriers on the board 3:49 into the second half.
"I think we made some real good adjustments," said Starr, who was impressed with her team's character and play in the second half. "The team didn't quit and it was basically a 1-1 second half. Make no mistake, Old Dominion could easily be the number one team in the country and we learned a whole lot."
Melissa Leonetti closed out the scoring for Old Dominion with 14:33 left, the seventh different goal scorer on the day for the Lady Monarchs. B.U. played Old Dominion to a standstill for the rest of the second half. DiGiacomo was awarded another penalty stroke late in the second half, but her shot sailed wide of the cage.
The Terriers did suffer a potential serious injury when junior midfielder Kerry Carney (Yorktown Heights, NY) went down with an ankle injury with 1:39 left in the first half. She did not return.
Harrington posted a career-high 20 saves in the cage for the Terriers, some of them spectacular. She made several stops on DiGiacomo's penalty corner shots.
The loss snapped the Terriers' five-game winning streak and is the team's first home loss since falling to Wake Forest on October 30, 1999. Old Dominion has won nine straight. B.U. returns to action on Wednesday, October 4 at Umass at 7 p.m.
Old Dominion 6 1 - 7 Boston University 0 1 - 1
Scoring Summary First Half: (ODU) Marina DiGiacomo (penalty stroke), 32:32; (ODU) Adrienne Yoder (DiGiacomo), 25:46; (ODU) Julie Miracle (unassisted), 17:59; (ODU) Teneille Williams (unassisted), 11:07; (ODU) Angie Loy (DiGiacomo), 8:0; (ODU) Marjoljn van der Sommen (unassisted), 4:52.
Second Half: (BU) Christina Strauss (Kelly Clothier), 31:11; (ODU) Melissa Leonetti (unassisted), 14:53.
Shots on Goal: BU 6, Old Dominion 35
Penalty Corners: BU 3, Old Dominion 12
Goalkeeper Saves: BU (Harrington 20), Old Dominion (Marybeth Freeman 2).
