THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510290198
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
Reputation alone usually has opponents on the run when they visit the Old Dominion field hockey team.
But Saturday, top-ranked North Carolina kept the Lady Monarchs on their heels and left Foreman Field with a 2-1 victory.
After losing 5-0 to UNC earlier in the season, No. 6 ODU took a defensive approach and kept the Tar Heels' scoring opportunities minimal, allowing just two shots inside the circle prior to the goals.
UNC finished with an 8-5 shooting advantage, including five penalty corners.
The Tar Heels' first goal came with 10:26 remaining before intermission when Kate Barber dodged ODU's Danielle Derr and beat keeper Kim Decker one-on-one.
``I happened to get my stick on the ball and it got by Dani,'' Barber said. ``I was lucky it went in and it bounced my way.''
Said Derr: ``I mis-hit the ball and gave her a breakaway. It was just a matter of me not getting the hit off.''
On the second goal, Derr again was left watching a bad bounce find the back of the net after she and UNC's Ashley Hanson bullied for possession, only to have the loose ball ricochet off Hanson's stick for a 2-0 UNC lead.
The Lady Monarchs were content to allow UNC to run the field outside the 50-yard line but played tight man-to-man from midfield on, with Derr back preventing several Tar Heels shots.
``Dani made two mistakes but played an exceptional game,'' UNC coach Karen Shelton said. ``Had she not played as well, we might have had more chances. They stopped everything we threw at them.''
But UNC couldn't catch everything ODU tossed up. Tar Heels keeper Jana Winthrow lost the shutout with 6:37 left to play when Danielle Chellew converted a penalty corner to put her team on the board. Derr and Sam Salvia were credited with the assist.
``Old Dominion is a much better team than they were at the beginning of the season,'' Shelton said. ``They always fight to the end.''
The Lady Monarchs travel to Richmond for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament on Friday. by CNB