VOLLEYBALL (8-4, 0-0 CUSA)
Liberty recorded a pair of 3-0 sweeps over North Alabama in consecutive days on Thursday and Friday. The Lady Flames have now won four matches in a row while North Alabama falls to 10-3, having lost three straight contests after starting the season 10-0. The Flames lead North Alabama 13-0 all-time in volleyball.
The Lady Flames open conference play this weekend at home by hosting Middle Tennessee for a pair of matches. The first game is Friday at 6 p.m. before Saturday’s weekend finale at 1 p.m.
An update on the rest of Liberty’s fall sports from around campus:
FIELD HOCKEY (5-3, 0-0 Big East)
Miami Ohio overcame a two-goal fourth quarter deficit to edge Liberty, 5-4, in overtime on Saturday afternoon in Lynchburg.
Liberty built a 3-1 lead after three quarters following a trio of opportunistic goals. The Lady Flames struck first midway through the first period with Luna Prieri sending a shot through a crowded circle and off a Miami defender for a 1-0 lead. Exactly one minute later, Josefina Tomasi put the Lady Flames up 2-0 following a RedHawks failed clear out of their circle.
Miami cut the deficit to 2-1 at the 19:57 mark before Liberty responded int he 23rd minute to push the lead up to 3-1 a lead Liberty carried into the final period.
The RedHawks scored on a penalty corner into the right side to cut the Liberty lead to 3-2 at the 52:01 mark. Just over 90 seconds later, they evened the match with another goal.
And only 23 seconds after that, the Lady Flames regained the lead. The RedHawks would even the score at 4 all in the 57th minute. In overtime, Miami scored the game winner.
Liberty would bounce back on Sunday with a dominating 7-2 win over Appalachian State. Six different Lady Flames scored int he match, led by a pair of goals from junior forward Josefina Tomasi. Liberty also tallied seven assists, with Morena Giacosa and Avery Pollock leading the way with two assists.
The Flames will play its Big East Conference opener on Friday at No. 10 UConn at 6 p.m.
MEN’S SOCCER (2-4-1, 0-1 SOCON)
The UNC Greensboro Spartans broke a 1-1 tie during the 84th minute to edge the Flames in Liberty’s first SoCon match in program history on Saturday evening in Greensboro.
Liberty scored the match’s first goal less than six minutes into the contest. Forward Pablo Matavale took away a pass to a Spartans defender near the top of the 18-yard box. He then moved past a defender and beat the UNCG goalkeeper with a shot into the lower right corner for a 1-0 lead.
Trailing at halftime, the Spartans evened the match during the 47th minute. However, after being held off by the Liberty defense throughout the rest of the second half, UNCG found the go ahead goal with less than six minutes left in the match.
Liberty will finish a five-game road swing on Tuesday by traveling to Harrisonburg for a match against JMU. Liberty then returns home for a conference match against Furman on Saturday at 5 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
The Liberty men’s and women’s cross country squads both came away with third place finishes at the adidas XC Challenge on Friday in Cary, North Carolina.
Liberty totaled 110 points for third place in the 15-team men’s 7K field. It marked the Flames’ third top three showing in as many years at this meet. No. 8 Wake Forest dominated the field, winning by 41 points over host team NC State.
Running in her hometown, senior Ryann Aycock paced the Lady Flames with a 29th place finish in the women’s 5K. Liberty ended up third of 16 women’s squads, trailing only a pair of nationally ranked opponents (No. 1 NC State and No. 16 South Carolina).
Liberty will take its full men’s and women’s squads to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for the 52nd Paul Short Run. The meet is slated for Oct. 2 at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (7-2-1, 0-0 Big East)
Liberty had this past week off before opening CUSA action at home against Western Kentucky (5-0-2) on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 11:30 a.m.
