Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG- The No. 20 Virginia Tech lacrosse team defeated Old Dominion 19-6 Saturday at the Indoor Practice Facility Saturday. The team moved to 5-1 on the season and 1-0 in ACC play. It was the first of two games on the day.
“They played as a team today,” head coach John Sung said. “We talked about it all week. This is still uncharted territory for this team, having success. The defense really hung in there, limiting a team to six goals is always a good day. We had some kids come in off the bench and really contribute and play some important minutes since we are playing two today.”
Tristan McGinley led all eight Hokies in scoring with five goals and one assist. Zan Biedenharn, Kristine Loscalzo and Emma Harden each had three goals for the Hokies, who put in their second highest amount of goals on the season.
Mary Claire Byrne was excellent in the midfield, causing five turnovers and scooping five groundballs. She also added an assist in the second half as the Hokies were in the midst of a seven goal run.
ODU was led by three goals from Sophia Ritchie. Megan Topper, Lauren Irvine and Brooke Stein each had one goal on the afternoon for the Monarchs (2-1, 0-0).
Old Dominion fought in the midfield winning the draw control battle 14-13. The Monarchs committed 25 turnovers on the afternoon, many unforced leading to Tech fast breaks that proved costly.
Meagh Graham earned her fifth win on the year, facing 10 shots and coming up with one save.
The second half provided coach Sung with an opportunity to empty his bench and get some other players game time. Freshman Celia Terreri scored the first collegiate goal of her career, while senior Tara Feehan scored her first of the season in limited minutes.
“The biggest thing has been for us is how we can develop our backups and reserves so if we do have an injury or sickness they can step in,” Sung said. “Being able to be deep is going to be important to us as we get into the later months of the season.”
The Hokies play host to Radford at 7 p.m. at the Indoor Practice Facility. Tech will wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.