Old Dominion University women’s lacrosse lost 19-7 to James Madison University on April 25 at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex in Norfolk, Virginia. Natalie Calandra-Ryan led the Monarchs by tying her career best with five goals during the game.
The result marks another setback for Old Dominion, which now stands at a record of 5-12 overall and remains winless in American Athletic Conference play. The game was notable for senior recognitions and individual achievements despite the defeat.
JMU took an early lead with Jordan Peterson scoring less than a minute into play, quickly followed by Kaitlyn Carney. Calandra-Ryan responded for Old Dominion but JMU closed out the first quarter ahead 6-2 after a run of three unanswered goals. Calandra-Ryan completed her hat trick early in the second quarter, yet JMU maintained control going into halftime with a score of 9-4.
After halftime, JMU continued to widen its lead as Lauren Savage and Carney scored multiple times. Calandra-Ryan added two more goals for Old Dominion in the third and fourth quarters, bringing her total to five for the day. Ella Bowen also contributed a goal for ODU while goalkeeper Brynn Bowen reached her milestone of 300 career saves during this match.
ODU Head Coach Theresa Walton said, “Really happy for this team and our graduates from the program who gave it their all today. Heart and hustle showcased throughout the whole game. Natalie Calandra-Ryan had a standout performance scoring 5 of our 7 goals. Brynn Bowen getting her 300th career save on the game was also super cool.”
Despite being outshot by JMU (32 shots to ODU’s ten) and trailing in draw controls (19-8), Walton praised her team’s spirit: “Despite the loss, I’m so proud of how the whole team showed up today in so many ways and most importantly, they did that for each other,” she said. “Big thank you to our department staff, our monarch parents and families, and our coaching crew for working so hard to continue to strive for greatness for this program. I know it to my core that we are moving in the right direction and that’s something this team can feel too.”
Looking forward, Walton emphasized optimism about future progress within Old Dominion’s women’s lacrosse program.
