FIELD HOCKEY TEAM RANKED THIRD IN LATEST POLL

The defending national championship Old Dominion field hockey team was ranked third among all Division I schools according to the latest STX/NFHCA Coaches' Poll released today. The team did receive six first place votes.

The University of Maryland is ranked first, with the University of North Carolina ranked second.

The Lady Monarchs currently hold a 6-2 overall record and are winners of their last six straight contests. Last week's victories included a 1-0 shutout for their first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) with a victory over Virginia Commonwealth and a 3-2 win over Virginia, ranked 11th in this week's poll. Of the six Old Dominion wins on the year, four opponents are currently ranked in the top 20, including top ranked Maryland, #8 Wake Forest, #11 Virginia, and #15 Penn State. The Lady Monarchs have also posted a win over Boston University, which received votes in this week's poll.

Sophomore Melissa Leonetti (Erdenheim, Pa.) currently leads Old Dominion with seven points on the year with three goals and an assist. Senior Adrienne Yoder (Coopersburg, Pa.) checks in as the Lady Monarch's second leading scorer with six points. Yoder has scored three goals thus far in 2001, two of which have come off of penalty strokes. In net, junior Marybeth Freeman (Holland, Pa.) has remained a defensive stalwart topping the league with a 1.22 goals against average. The third year netminder has logged 39 saves and two shutouts.

The field hockey team will return to action this weekend against Temple and #5 Princeton, with both games being played on the Tigers' home turf in Princeton, NJ. The Lady Monarchs will face off against the Owls on Saturday, Sept. 29 and square off against the Tigers on Sunday, Sept. 30. Both games are slated for a 1 p.m. start.