University of Delaware Athletics
UD Faces No. 11 Old Dominion in Second-Half of Soccer DH (Oct. 6, 2012)
10/6/2012 3:56:00 PM | Men's Soccer
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware men's soccer team will be hosting the No. 11 ranked Old Dominion University Monarchs in a Colonial Athletic Association showdown on Sunday, October 7 at 4 p.m. at Delaware Mini Stadium. The match will be the second half of a soccer doubleheader that begins with the Delaware women's squad battling Northeastern University at 1 p.m.
“The beauty of CAA soccer is that we get to play nationally ranked opponents in conference play on a regular basis,” Delaware head coach Ian Hennessy stated about the strength of the CAA schedule. “Old Dominion is ranked between 11 and 14 in the major polls and provide for an entertaining game due to their attacking style of soccer.”
Delaware (3-7-1, 1-1 CAA) sits seventh in the CAA standings while Old Dominion (7-1-1, 1-1-1 CAA) is sixth in the conference.
Sunday's match between the Blue Hens and Monarchs is a rematch of last year's CAA Championship that Delaware defeated Old Dominion, 2-1, for UD's first soccer championship in school history.
The Blue Hens and Monarchs have played 16 matches since 1976, with Delaware owning a 4-12 record against Old Dominion. With a victory, UD will have wins over ODU for three-straight years for the first time in the rivalries history.
Entering Sunday's match, the Blue Hens are looking for their first win at Delaware Mini Stadium this season after falling to Towson , 3-2, on Wednesday. Freshman forward Joe Dipre leads the Blue Hens with three goals and seven points on the season. Junior Roberto Gimenez ranks second on the squad with six points on the year and is the only UD player with multiple goals (2) and assists (2).
The Monarchs are led by 24-year head coach Alan Dawson, who has 14 lettermen and 10 starters returning from a squad that lost to Indiana University in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and went 12-6-2 a year ago. Old Dominion capitalizes in the second half of matches by outscoring the opposition 17-6 in the final 45 minutes this season.
The CAA's preseason selection to win the conference, the Monarchs had four players garner pre-season All-CAA accolades in junior forward Tim Hopkinson, senior Yannick Smith, junior forward Gideon Asante and senior goalkeeper Victor Francoz. Hopkinson has ODU's offensive force as the junior leads the team with 20 points (8 goals and 4 assists) on the season. Senior midfielder Jordan LeBlanc is second on the team with five goals and three assists. Francoz has been strong in goal for ODU with a 1.09 GAA and three shutouts.
The Blue Hens continue their CAA schedule with a trip to Boston, Mass. on Wednesday, October 10 at 7 p.m. when Delaware battles Northeastern University at NU's Parsons Field
