U. hosts field hockey finals

The NCAA field hockey Final Four will battle it out on Franklin Field. The most anticipated field hockey event of the year, the NCAA Division I Championship Tournament, is here. For the second time in the history of the NCAA Tournament, Penn hosts the most elite and prestigious collegiate field hockey event. Tonight, the top four teams in the nation -- Old Dominion (21-2), Virginia (18-4), Connecticut (19-3) and Princeton (16-2) -- will pay a visit to Franklin Field as they compete in the NCAA Division I semifinals. The winners of these semifinal matchups will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday to decide the national champion. At 5 p.m., the Old Dominion Monarchs take on the Virginia Cavaliers for the second consecutive year in the semifinals. At 7:30 p.m., the Connecticut Huskies match up against the Princeton Tigers. In second round play, Old Dominion took on reigning champs North Carolina. The Monarchs' 7-2 victory was its third defeat over North Carolina in the 1998 season. The Cavaliers, the only team in the Final Four who competed in the first round of tournament play, defeated Kent State, 4-2, and crushed the University of Maryland, 5-1, in the second round. Connecticut enters the semifinals for the first time in 15 years with a 3-0 shutout over Big East rival Boston College. Princeton, the Ivy League champion, earned its third consecutive trip to the Final Four with a 3-1 victory over Penn State. Old Dominion, the only team in the history of Division I field hockey to make an appearance in all 18 NCAA Tournaments, plays a controlled, slower paced game. The Lady Monarchs will be led by sophomore offensive threat Marina DiGiacomo. DiGiacomo, a two-time Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, is ranked second in the nation in points and leads her team with 27 goals, 23 assists and 77 points. Senior back, Mimi Smith, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, leads the Monarchs on the defense. Along with DiGiacomo and Smith, the Lady Monarchs boast four other All-South Region players. On the opposing bench, Virginia head coach Missi Sanders teaches a fast-paced, "run-and-gun" style of play. "We are an extremely athletic team who uses our speed to our benefit," Sanders said. Leading the Cavaliers with their lightening speed will be Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year Lori Mastropietro, the all-time scoring leader in the ACC with 230 career points, and Meridith Thorpe, 1996 ACC Rookie of the Year. Meredith Elwell and all-time assist record holder at Virginia with 60, Michelle Vizzuso, will be key as well. Although both teams have earned numerous individual and team accolades, they play with different styles. According to Sanders that shouldn't pose a problem, "Although our styles are different, we are on the same level." "It will be quite a challenge," Old Dominion's head coach of 17 years, Beth Anders, said. "Both teams are evenly matched." The two other teams, Princeton and Connecticut, both lost their chance to win the 1997 title at the hands of North Carolina. In the final eight, North Carolina trumped the Huskies, 4-0, and preceded to drop Princeton, 4-3, in the Final Four. Princeton, one of the fastest teams in the Final Four, will come up against Connecticut -- a team that has 17 returning letterwinners who are hungry for a title. The Tigers, led by first team National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Mid-Atlantic Regional All-Americans Kristy Hale, Christine Hunsicker, Hilary Matson and Molly O'Malley, will use their speed and offensive threats to overcome the Huskies long-ball style of play. The Tigers' four first-team all-stars will be evenly matched with the Huskies' five first-team Mideast Regional All-Stars -- Danielle Vile, Amy Herz, Laura Klein, Carrie Mahoney and Katie Stephens.