No. 2 ODU tops No. 1 UNC
Published 11:51 pm Friday, September 16, 2011
No. 2 Old Dominion beat No. 1 North Carolina 3-1 in a meeting of the top-ranked field hockey squads in the nation Friday night in Chapel Hill, N.C.
UNC took a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 16th minute, becoming the first team to take a lead against the Lady Monarchs (7-0) all season.
ODU answered 0:54 after the Lady Tar Heel goal and the score remained tied until halftime.
ODU took the lead nine minutes into the second half off a penalty corner play. Freshman midfielder Kelsey Smither (Lakeland) picked up one of two assists on Christy Longacre’s goal to put ODU ahead 2-1. Smither has a goal and six assists on the season.
The Lady Monarchs answered a long spell of UNC attacking, searching for a tying goal, with Emma Batten, the team’s leading scorer, netting her ninth goal of the season in the 62nd minute for a 3-1 lead.
The win is ODU’s second on the season over a team ranked No. 1 at the time. Six of ODU’s seven wins have been against schools ranked in the top 10.
ODU travels to Durham, N.C. to face Duke on Sunday afternoon.