FIELD HOCKEY (12-5, 5-1 BIG EAST)

Liberty field hockey closed the regular season on a high note, earning a 2-1 road victory over Villanova on Friday to secure the No. 2 seed in the Big East Tournament. After falling behind in the first quarter, the Flames responded with a pair of second-half goals to complete the comeback. The win capped a strong finish to the regular season for Liberty, which had already clinched a spot in the conference tournament with its win over Temple the previous week.

Liberty now turns its attention to the Big East Championship, where it will face Old Dominion in the tournament semifinals on Friday, Nov. 6. The Flames will look to make another postseason run after finishing the regular season among the conference’s top teams.

MEN’S SOCCER (6-7-2, 3-3 SOCON)

Liberty closed its regular season with a pair of victories, defeating Oral Roberts, 2-1, on Tuesday before dominating VMI, 5-0, on Friday.

The Flames rallied past Oral Roberts with a late goal to secure the non-conference victory before returning to Osborne Stadium for their regular-season finale against VMI. Liberty forward Samson Kpardeh broke a 1-1 tie with a goal during the 86th minute, as the Flames topped the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles 2-1 Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference match at Osborne Stadium. Kpardeh, who had missed the previous eight games due to injury, entered the match during the 80th minute to see his first game action since the injury.

Ronnie Gorman stole the show against the Keydets, scoring three goals in Liberty’s 5-0 win. Pablo Ares opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Gorman added his first goal eight minutes later. Gorman then scored twice in the opening minutes of the second half, completing the hat trick. Javan Ochieng capped the scoring with his second goal in as many games, while also recording two assists. Liberty outshot VMI 33-3 and limited the Keydets to just one shot on goal.

The Flames finished the regular season with a 4-1 record at home and enter the SoCon Tournament having won their last four matches at Osborne Stadium. Liberty advances to the conference tournament quarterfinals on Thursday against No. 4 seed ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee. The Flames lost to ETSU, 2-0, in Johnson City on Oct. 10.

WOMEN’S SOCCER (14-2-2, 7-0-1 CUSA)

Liberty women’s soccer finished the regular season with a 1-0 win over Missouri State on Sunday, securing a perfect home record and extending its unbeaten streak to 12 matches.

Halle Engle scored the game’s lone goal in the 14th minute, giving the Lady Flames an early lead they would never relinquish. Liberty’s defense was dominant once again, limiting Missouri State to just one shot and no shots on goal.

The victory capped a remarkable regular season for Liberty, which finished 9-0 at Osborne Stadium and went unbeaten in its final 13 matches. The Lady Flames also secured the CUSA regular-season championship before Sunday’s match after Delaware played to a draw on Saturday.

Liberty enters the CUSA Championship as the No. 1 seed and will look to defend its conference tournament title. The Lady Flames have outscored conference opponents 12-1 this season and have recorded six consecutive shutouts. The Lady Flames will compete in the CUSA Quarterfinals on Sunday in Newark, Delaware.

VOLLEYBALL (15-9, 7-5 CUSA)

Liberty split its weekend series at Kennesaw State, dropping Friday’s match 3-0 before bouncing back with a 3-1 victory on Saturday.

The Lady Flames struggled in Friday’s opener, falling 25-23, 25-17, 25-22. Paige Overcash led Liberty with 14 kills, while the Flames were unable to overcome Kennesaw State’s advantage in hitting percentage, blocks, and service aces.

Liberty responded the following afternoon with a much-needed win, taking the first two sets before Kennesaw State claimed the third. The Lady Flames closed out the match with a 25-23 fourth-set victory. Jenna Otts led Liberty with 13 kills, while Overcash added 11 kills, three aces, and three blocks. Laney Daniell also contributed 11 kills and a career-high seven blocks.

The split leaves Liberty tied for third in the CUSA standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season. The Lady Flames will travel to Western Kentucky next weekend for another important conference series.

CROSS COUNTRY

Liberty cross country wrapped up the Conference USA Championships in Huntsville, Alabama, with a runner-up finish for the women and a third-place showing for the men.

The Lady Flames finished second behind Middle Tennessee, which ended Liberty’s two-year run as CUSA women’s team champions. Allie Zealand led Liberty with a third-place individual finish in the women’s 6K, while Rachel Hill, Ryann Aycock, Ava Gordon, and Eden Alexander also earned All-CUSA honors. Zealand clocked a season-best 19:36.5, finishing among the top three runners in the meet. Liberty’s women have now finished first or second at their conference championship in nine consecutive seasons.

The men finished third behind Middle Tennessee and Jacksonville State, ending a remarkable streak of 23 consecutive conference championship finishes in the top two. Andrew Schultz led the Flames with a sixth-place finish in the 8K, earning first-team All-CUSA honors. Liberty had seven men earn All-CUSA recognition, the most of any team in the conference. The Flames will now turn their attention to the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships on Nov. 13.