The Old Dominion lacrosse team commenced their 2024 season with an opening match against Elon at L.R. Hill Sports Complex. Unfortunately, the Monarchs were defeated 16-6, despite the three goals scored by sophomore midfielder Emma Rowland. In the season opener last year where ODU and Elon faced each other, ODU was victorious with a score of 12-11.
The second-year head coach, Theresa Walton, has expressed her optimism in the team’s potential to take the next step in their rebuilding process as they enter the new season. In Walton’s first season as head coach, Old Dominion finished the 2023 season with a 4-13 record. The Monarchs have not had a winning season since 2016 when they emerged victorious in the Atlantic Sun Tournament and secured an NCAA tournament bid.
Elon set the tone of the game by opening the scoring in the first quarter with 12 minutes left. Two minutes later, Rowland tied the game with an impressive coast-to-coast ball run that found the back of the cage. Following her goal, ODU added three additional goals in the first quarter, taking a 4-1 lead going into the second quarter.
During the second quarter, Elon expanded their advantage by scoring two additional goals, bringing the tally to 6-1. The Lady Monarchs responded with two goals of their own, as graduate attacker Lilly Siskind and junior midfielder Corrinne Stratton successfully launched their shots past the Phoenix goalkeeper to reduce the deficit to 6-3. Rowland, who had already scored a goal earlier in the game, went on to score her second goal, reducing the score to 6-4. However, Elon managed to score two more goals before halftime, ending the first half with an 8-4 lead.
During the second half of the game, the Phoenix team scored their ninth goal of the match, following which Rowland scored her hat-trick five minutes into the third quarter. Siskind then scored her second goal of the day, bringing the score to 9-6. However, Elon extended their lead with three more goals and ended the third quarter with a score of 12-6. The Monarchs failed to score in the fourth quarter, allowing Elon to pad their advantage with four more goals and secure the 16-6 victory.
The Lady Monarchs will have two consecutive away games this week. On Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 4 p.m., they will face the No. 19 Richmond Spiders. Following this, the team will travel to Williamsburg for their next matchup with William & Mary on Saturday, Feb. 17, with the contest scheduled at 1 p.m.
