THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 8, 1995 TAG: 9510080202
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
After managing a meager two shots on goal for the first 86 minutes of the game, Byron Mitchell connected on a header off a corner kick to give the Old Dominion men's soccer team an improbable 1-0 win over seventh-ranked James Madison on Saturday, ending the Dukes' 22-game CAA winning streak.
``To win on three shots . . . I'm sure they'll take it,'' JMU coach Tom Martin said. ``This was a game we easily could have won. We just didn't.''
The defeat was JMU's first of the season, snapping a 12-game run. The Dukes had not lost to a conference opponent in 32 games (29-0-3).
``I hope this game is the impetus we need,'' said coach Ralph Perez, whose Monarchs came into the match having lost their previous two games after blowing two-goal leads in each. ``We talked a lot before the game about believing in ourselves.''
Each team neutralized the other in the first half. ODU's lone shot on goal was a floater by Mike Moyer from 20 yards out which JMU keeper Barry Purcell easily saved.
The Dukes (12-1, 4-1) nearly took the lead 10 minutes into the second half, when Nathan Fairchild was left alone about 3 yards in front of ODU keeper Nathan Olansen. Fairchild got the ball off a deflection, but Olansen blocked the shot with his leg.
``He came up big when he had to,'' Martin said of Olansen, who sealed the win by tapping a close-range header from Geoff Honeysett over the goal with two minutes left to play. He finished with five saves.
In the 81st minute, both teams sent several substitutes into the game to rest the starting forwards. With freshmen Darian Moore and Churchland's Tommy Carter handling the attack, the Monarchs (7-5, 2-1) worked the ball deep into Dukes territory and off a defender for a corner kick.
Moyer, who usually takes corner kicks, was on the bench, so Raul Ovalle lined up in his place. Ovalle curved the ball into the mouth of the JMU goal and Mitchell leapt for the header, which hit off Purcell's shoulder and into the open net.
``That was the only one he needed to come up with and he didn't,'' Martin said of Purcell, who came into the match third in the nation in goals-against average (0.51).
``We just needed to win - we'll take it any way we can get it,'' said Mitchell, who tallied his second goal of the season.
In field hockey:
Danielle Chellew scored two minutes into the game and with 2:44 remaining to lift Old Dominion (7-6) past Duke, 2-1, at Foreman Field. Samantha Salvia, who tied a school record with six assists Friday against Radford, and Dani Derr set up both of Chellew's goals.
Monica Saltarelli scored twice as Virginia Wesleyan ran off four goals to defeat Randolph-Macon 4-1. After Tabitha Cooper's goal for R-M (2-8, 1-5 ODAC) opened the scoring, Saltarelli converted a 22-yard blast and Natalie Elliott gave Virginia Wesleyan (4-4, 2-3) the lead for good with 2:41 left in the first half.
In men's soccer:
Virginia Wesleyan (10-0-1, 4-0) seized sole possession of first place in the ODAC with a 2-0 victory over Eastern Mennonite in Harrisonburg, Va. Keepers Scott Morgenroth and Jeremy Blake made seven saves to record the Marlins' ninth shutout in 11 games. by CNB