NORFOLK, Va. – Despite having not played for 16 days, the Louisiana Tech soccer team used the same recipe to generate yet another victory.
 
On offense, it was goal-scoring Autumn Woodard who found the back of the net twice.  And on defense, it was the back line who stood tall against a strong opposition.  The combination of the two resulted in the Lady Techsters pulling off a 2-1 victory over Old Dominion on Friday afternoon at the ODU Soccer Complex.
 
LA Tech (9-0-1, 1-0-0 C-USA) pushed its unbeaten streak to 16 while registering three points in its first conference match of the season.  They also ran their unbeaten streak versus ODU (6-2-2, 0-2-0 C-USA) to six while improving their record to a perfect 4-0 in Norfolk versus the Monarchs.
 
"We felt like we would get opportunities today in quick transition and that is exactly what happened," said head coach Kevin Sherry.  "We took advantage of some things ODU was doing in the first half and in the second half it was all about defending and the ladies stood tall.  I'm very proud of the team for following the game plan and executing it."
 
The Monarchs came out of the gates strong, but it was the Lady Techsters who got on the scoreboard first in the 17th minute when a miss clearance by an ODU defender led to Kaylee Zettler racing down the ball near the end line.
 
The senior then crossed it to Woodard who was at the top of the six.  The sophomore took a turn and struck it with her left foot into the back of the net for her 11th goal of the season.
 
ODU, who came into the match with only one loss which came at the hands of defending C-USA champion North Texas, managed to equalize in the 23rd minute when Amanda Nhek received a through pass and found some space, drilling a right-footed shot from the top of the box to the far post.
 
Woodard would again deliver her goal-scoring magic, this time in the 29th minute.  It all started when Sophie Fijneman sent a long ball from the back line that was controlled by Woodard. 
 
She was able to maintain possession with a defender on her hip, then dribble into the middle of the field and send a shot that deflected off an ODU player and found the back of the net from 18 yards out.
 
It was goal No. 12 for the transfer which leads the country and is now tied for the second most goals scored in a single season in program history. 
 
From then on, it was all about defense.  LA Tech put several players behind the ball and fought off a total of 12 second-half shots, including a couple of scary free kicks in the 25-30 yard range and a handful of corner kicks.
 
Standing tall in net was Carlotta Cartelli who recorded three saves in the victory.  Six different Lady Techsters ended up playing the full 90 minutes.
 
LA Tech returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 29 at WKU.  Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
 
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