Field Hockey Set to Face Old Dominion
11/12/2002 | Field Hockey
Nov. 12, 2002
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The University of Richmond field hockey team earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance and will face first-ranked Old Dominion University on Saturday, at Foreman Field in Norfolk, Va. Sixteen teams will be competing for the championship.
The Spiders earned the automatic bid after defeating Rider University 2-1 in Tuesday's NCAA Play-In game between the Atlantic 10 and the Northeastern Conference champions. Richmond has registered a program-best 17 victories and is currently riding a 14-game winning streak. The Spiders registered a perfect 6-0 conference record and swept the four major Atlantic 10 honors on their way to winning their first A-10 title.
The Lady Monarchs, ranked number one in the latest and final STX/NFHCA National Coaches Poll, is making its 22nd consecutive NCAA appearance. The Monarchs won their seventh straight CAA title on their way to compiling a 19-3 record.
Richmond and ODU met twice in 2000 with the Monarchs recording an 11-0 victory at Foreman Field and a 9-1 victory at Crensahw Field. The two teams first met in 1962 and have since played forty times with the Monarchs holding a 29-10-1 advantage in the series.
GAME NOTES
NCAA BOUND ... For the first time in the program's 83-year history, the Spiders are making an appearance in the 22nd annual NCAA Field Hockey Tournament. Richmond earned the automatic bid after defeating Rider 2-1 in the NCAA Play-In game between the Atlantic 10 Conference champions and the Northeast Conference champions.
HAVE WE MET BEFORE? ... Richmond and Old Dominion have met 40 times over the past 40 years, with the series dating back to 1962. In that first game, Old Dominion recorded a 4-1 victory. The teams last played in 2000 when ODU left Crenshaw Field with a 9-1 victory in Richmond's final season in the CAA. The Lady Monarchs hold a 29-10-1 advantage in the series.
ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPS ... In just their second season of Atlantic 10 play, the Spiders captured the conference crown. Richmond, seeded first in this past weekend's A-10 Championship at Crenshaw Field, defeated fourth-seed Saint Joseph's on Friday, November 8 in the semifinals, 1-0. On Saturday, Richmond captured a 4-1 win over the second-seeded Massachusetts Minutewomen. The Spiders' victory ends a six-year Massachusetts stronghold on the title.
17 AND COUNTING ... Richmond grabbed its 17th victory on Tuesday in the NCAA Play-In game against Rider. This year's 17 wins are the most wins recorded in the program's 82 year history. The previous record was 11 set by teams in both 1991 and 1993.
VERSUS THE FIELD OF 16 .... Richmond is 47-135-18 versus this year's NCAA field having faced 9 of the 15 teams in the tourney. The Spiders have faced intra-state rival William & Mary the most, 74 times (22-39-13), since 1930. This season, Richmond has played three teams that advanced to the NCAA's. William & Mary defeteated the Spiders 3-0 in Williamsburg, James Madison posted a 2-1 victory over Richmond at Crenshaw Field and Duke handed the Spiders their worst loss of the season with a 6-0 win.
ALL-ATLANTIC 10 HONORS ... For only the third time in Atlantic 10 history, one school swept all four major awards as Richmond senior Jill Murphy was named Offensive Player of the Year, junior Lydia Decembrino was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year, Michelle Swartz was honored as Rookie of the Year and Ange Bradley was named Coach of the Year in voting conducted among the Conference's coaches.
HEAD COACH ANGE BRADLEY ... In just her second year at the helm of the Richmond field hockey team, Bradley has led the Spiders to their first NCAA Tournament appearance. Bradley has an overall record of 66-41-2(6) and a 27-16 mark at Richmond.
The NCAA announcement, the Spiders reaction, and Coach Ange Bradley's comments
A-10 Offensive Player of the Year senior Jill Murphy talks about playing Old Dominion in the NCAA Tournament