FIELD HOCKEY (7-4, 1-1 Big East)
Liberty blanked Old Dominion, 2-0, in its Big East home opener on Friday afternoon at the Liberty Field Hockey Field. The Lady Flames picked up their first conference victory and improve to 1-1 in league play while halting the Monarchs’ three-match win streak. Liberty’s shutout is its t hird of 2026 and first since an 8-0 home triumph over Longwood on Sept. 13. Luna Prieri and Avery Pollock provided the goals in the win.
The Lady Flames earned their second straight shutout, defeating Richmond, 2-0 on Sunday in Richmond in a non-confernce match. Freshman Clarisa Iudicello was involved in both goals. The midfielder recorded the first goal of the game late in the first quarter and assisted on Pia Iapichino’s tally early in the second period. Liberty notches its fourth shutout of the 2026 campaign and improves to 4-1 in true road games.
Up next, the Lady Flames’ will be at home against Big East opponent Georgetown at 1 p.m. Friday. Liberty is 12-0 all-time against Georgetown.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (10-2-1, 3-0 CUSA)
The Lady Flames handled an upstart Middle Tennessee squad on Thursday night, earning a 2-1 win on the road, as Liberty extends their winning streak to seven games. The Blue Raiders started the game off strong with the first five shots of the contest. Halle Engle cashed in the first goal of the game on the Lady Flames’ first shot attempt in the 25th minute. Playing with the lead, the pace of the game softened as the Lady Flames controlled the action. For the rest of the game, Liberty outshoot the home team 19-10.
Liberty gained some cushion in the 59th minute, which proved to be vital. The Lady Flames earned a short corner on a free kick attempt. Carly Keene sent a ball directly to the middle of the 18-yard box, finding a charging Gaby Bazan who netted her first career goal. The Blue Raiders wouldn’t let up, cutting the lead in half in the 76th minute. Liberty restricted scoring chances the rest of the way though, to hold on for the triumph.
The Flames continued their winning ways on Sunday afternoon, upending New Mexico State with a 3-0 road triumph. Halle Engle tallied her fourth game winning goal of the season and four freshmen recorded a point to spark the Lady Flames to victory. The Lady Flames stretch of consecutive wins now ranks as the longest winning streak in Division I (tied with three teams) after picking up two road wins this week. Liberty also extended its unbeaten streak against CUSA opponents to 18 games (14-0-4).
Engle started the scoring int eh seventh minute of the contest for her team-leading sixth score of the season. The Lady Flames’ defense stood out, not allowing a NMSU shot attempt until the 43rd minute and being held without a shot on goal in the full contest. Liberty extended the lead in the 64th minute on a Izzie Smulik goal. The Flames added a third tally with eight minutes remaining as Gabby Garnett scored her first collegiate goal.
Liberty returns home to take on FIU on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. from Osborne Stadium.
MEN’S SOCCER (4-4-2, 2-1 SOCON)
Liberty’s men’s soccer used a solid defensive effort to record a shutout in their 3-0 victory over Mercer in a SoCon contest on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Osborne Stadium. The Flames held the Bears to five shot attempts in the match, allowing one on goal throughout the 90 minutes to register their second straight shutout.
Liberty broke a scoreless tie right before halftime as Lachlan Middleton deposited a crossing pass from Roope Salo for a 1-0 lead. The Flames added two goals in the second half. Goncarlo Sousa and Manuel Vitorino each scored for the final score of 3-0.
The Flames will travel to Johnson City, Tennessee for a SoCon match against East Tennessee State on Saturday at 6 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL (11-5, 3-1 CUSA)
Liberty hit a season-best .454 on Saturday, posting its second straight 3-0 sweep over Jacksonville State in Alabama. Liberty has won seven of its last eight matches while the Gamecocks fall to 3-13 overall and 0-4 in CUSA. Liberty dominated the first two sets, but Jax State came out fighting in the third. The Gamecocks led 11-10 during set three before the Lady Flames’ 4-0 run gave the visitors the lead. After a Jax State side out, Liberty ended the match on a 11-2 run. Molly Littlefield recorded her 1,000th career dig in the match on Saturday. She has collected 1,000 combined digs between her time at Gardner-Webb and Liberty.
The Lady Flames return to Lynchburg and will host New Mexico State, Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. at Liberty Arena.
CROSS COUNTRY
The Liberty women’s cross country team brought the heat on an unseasonably hot, humid October Friday in Pennsylvania, winning the Paul Short Run women’s gold 6K team title for the school’s first ever team championship at the 52nd running of the historic meet. Meanwhile, the men’s squad notched a strong eighth place showing in the men’s gold 8K.
Allie Zealand crossed the line fourth in the women’s 6K, marking the best individual placement by a Lady Flame in meet history. She led four other teammates across the finish line inside the top 50 as Liberty defeated Penn by 29 points atop the 37-team women’s field which included 21 regionally ranked squads.
On the men’s side, Ethan Pedersen came in 14th to serve as Liberty’s top finisher for the first time in his four-year career. The Flames ended up eighth out of 35 teams overall. Wingate, which is ranked No. 1 nationally in NCAA Division II, took home the men’s team championship, far outdistancing runner-up Penn State.
Liberty will wrap up the regular season in two weeks, sending runners to a pair of meets. The Flames will get the weekend started at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational, Oct. 16 at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. Liberty will also have runners in action at the Roanoke XC Invitational, scheduled for Oct. 17 at Green Hill Park in Salem, Virginia.
