ODU wins CAA hockey title
Published 9:15 pm Monday, November 7, 2011
No. 2-ranked Old Dominion routed its way to the Colonial Athletic Association field hockey title Saturday and Sunday in Norfolk, beating James Madison 6-1 in the semifinals and Northeastern 5-1 in the championship match.
ODU (20-2) has won 15 CAA Tournament titles and have won the tournament back-to-back seasons.
Freshman midfielder Kelsey Smither (Lakeland) had an assist in both matches, bringing her season total to 11 along with four goals.
Senior Emma Batten, the 2011 CAA Player of the Year, scored four goals in the final to give her 25 on the season.
“Our goal today was to make a memory and we did,” said ODU head coach Beth Anders. “They’ll remember this forever and it’s a great day for them.”
The Lady Monarchs will learn their spot in the NCAA Tournament bracket when the field’s announced Tuesday night.
Christopher Newport’s field hockey team ended its regular season with lopsided victories at home on Friday and Saturday before heading into the NCAA Div. III Tournament.
The Lady Captains (13-5) beat Houghton (N.Y.) 7-0 Friday and Transylvania (Ky.) 10-2 on Saturday.
Junior Breanne Lowe (Nansemond River) has played in 18 games, starting in 14, getting one goal, one assist and one defensive stop. Freshman Taylor Young (Lakeland) has played in eight matches and scored two goals.
CNU travels to the Philadelphia area to face Ursinus in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday.
Radford senior defender Lynsey Daughtrey (Lakeland) was named all-conference for the 2011 NorPac Conference field hockey season during the conference tournament last week in Stanford, Calif.
Daughtrey has been a starter for RU since the first match of her freshman year. Daughtrey totaled five goals and four assists this season.
Longwood (13-9) finished third in the NorPac. The Lady Lancers beat Pacific 3-1, lost to California 3-0, then beat Davidson 1-0 in double overtime.
Kaity Byrum (Lakeland) started 14 matches and had a goal and two assists as a junior midfielder for the Lady Lancers.
Elizabeth City State finished its regular season on the gridiron with a 39-14 Senior Day victory over Lincoln (Pa.) on Saturday.
Senior quarterback Domonic Strand (Nansemond River) rushed for a touchdown and threw a 33-yard touchdown to Anthony Faulcon as the Vikings pulled away in the third quarter after leading 13-0 at halftime.
Elizabeth City State (8-2, 6-1) won the CIAA Eastern Division and will play Western Division champ Winston-Salem State in the CIAA Championship Game on Saturday in Durham, N.C.
Old Dominion’s men’s basketball won its exhibition season finale 69-43 over Elizabeth City State Saturday night in Norfolk.
Junior forward Nick Wright (Nansemond River) had eight points in 13 minutes for the Monarchs.
ODU opens its season this Saturday at 7 p.m. against visiting Northern Iowa.
The Monarchs are the reigning CAA champions with a 27-7 record last season, ending in a 60-58 loss to eventual national runner-up Butler in the round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament.