The 2026 field hockey season kicked off for Old Dominion University in dramatic fashion, as the Monarchs traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to open against two formidable opponents.
On August 28 the team faced Ohio State at Buckeye Varsity Field, with a 4 p.m. tip‑off, followed the next day by a 3 p.m. showdown against Bellarmine on the same venue.
Head coach Andrew Griffiths, now in his fourteenth year at the helm, brings a career record of 139‑96 and a steady presence as the program prepares for its third straight season aiming at a top‑three finish in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
ODU returns fifteen players from a year ago, including eight starters, while welcoming seven newcomers — five first‑year athletes and two transfers — to a roster that features returning top scorer Josie Painter and the versatile Serena Langendoen, who contributed fifteen points last season.
In goal, Suus Broers will protect the net after posting sixty‑four saves in 2025, providing continuity between the posts.
Ohio State arrives with a wealth of experience, led by goalkeeper Maddie Stevens, who started every one of the Buckeyes’ eighteen games in 2025 and posted a 1.76 goals‑against average with five shutouts.
The Buckeyes also bring back Raliegh Kerst and Anne Marie Krebs, who earned NFHCA Second Team All‑West Region honors in 2025 and will look to bolster the attack.
Bellarmine’s Knights, under second‑year coach Toby Platt, hope to improve on a 2‑15 record from last season; their defensive anchor includes fourth‑year players Reilly Casey and Dominique Hudson, both of whom started every game a year ago.
The first meeting between ODU and Bellarmine is scheduled for August 29, and the Monarchs’ next tests will be against Princeton on September 4 and Penn on September 6, contests that could further shape their conference standing.