FIELD HOCKEY (11-5, 4-1 BIG EAST)
No. 12 Liberty clinched a spot in the 2026 Big East Field Hockey Championship with a commanding 4-0 shutout of Temple on Friday afternoon at the Liberty Field Hockey Field. The Lady Flames extended their winning streak to six games overall and four straight in conference play.
After a scoreless opening quarter, Liberty broke through late in the second period. Josefina Tomasi tipped in a pass from Clarisa Iudicello to put the Lady Flames ahead in the 25th minute. Iudicello then assisted on another goal just before halftime, finding Luna Prieri, who finished from the baseline to give Liberty a 2-0 advantage. Avery Pollock added two second-half goals to put the contest out of reach. Her first came on a rebound in the third quarter, while her second arrived on a penalty corner in the fourth, completing the 4-0 victory.
Liberty dominated statistically, finishing with an 18-8 advantage in shots and a 10-2 edge in penalty corners. Goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin made five saves to record her fourth shutout of the season. Iudicello continued her standout freshman campaign, contributing two assists to bring her season total to four. She leads the Lady Flames with 10 goals and 24 points. Tomasi’s goal was her eighth of the season, establishing a new career high.
The Lady Flames have now qualified for the Big East Tournament in all 11 seasons since joining the conference in 2016. UConn has already clinched the regular-season title and top seed, while Liberty is positioned to earn either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed depending on the final weekend’s results.
No. 12 Liberty saw its six-game winning streak come to an end Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 7 Duke in a shootout following a 2-2 tie in regulation at the Liberty Field Hockey Field. The Lady Flames finished their home regular season with a hard-fought performance against one of the nation’s top programs, narrowly missing out on another signature victory. Against Duke, Liberty battled throughout regulation, matching the Blue Devils’ scoring before the contest was ultimately decided in a shootout.
The result brings Liberty’s record to 11-5 overall and leaves the Lady Flames at 4-1 in Big East play. Despite Sunday’s setback, Liberty has secured a spot in the conference tournament for the 11th consecutive season since joining the Big East in 2016.
The Lady Flames will close out the regular season Friday, Oct. 30, against Villanova. Liberty will then turn its attention to the Big East Tournament, scheduled for Nov. 6-8 in Philadelphia.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (13-2-2, 6-0-1 CUSA)
Liberty’s women’s soccer team continued its historic run Thursday evening, shutting out Delaware, 2-0, at Osborne Stadium to record its 11th consecutive victory. The Lady Flames improved to 6-0 in Conference USA play and strengthened their position atop the conference standings.
The matchup featured the top two teams in the CUSA standings entering the night, but Liberty’s defense once again proved difficult to break down. The Lady Flames limited Delaware to just two shots and did not allow a shot on goal, recording their fourth consecutive shutout. Liberty took the lead in the 19th minute when Isabella Wedemeyer finished a pass from Halle Engle. Engle created space in the attacking third before finding Wedemeyer, who placed her shot beyond the goalkeeper and into the far side of the net.
The Lady Flames continued to control the match, outshooting Delaware 16-2 and forcing seven saves from Blue Hens goalkeeper Sophia Hall. Liberty eventually added an insurance goal in the 81st minute. Engle found Margaret Garner in the middle of the attacking zone, and Garner took a pair of touches before sliding her shot past Hall to secure the victory.
Engle recorded two assists, giving her 15 points on the season, while Wedemeyer and Garner each scored their third goals of the campaign. Goalkeeper Ainsley Leja earned another shutout, improving to 11-1-1 on the season and extending her career total to 27 clean sheets.
The 11-game winning streak ties the program record established in 2023, Liberty’s first season in Conference USA. The Lady Flames have also won 12 consecutive games against CUSA opponents and are unbeaten against league competition in their last 21 matches.
Liberty’s historic winning streak came to an end Sunday afternoon, but the Lady Flames extended their unbeaten run to 12 games with a scoreless draw against Sam Houston in Huntsville, Texas. Liberty entered the match having won 11 consecutive games, tying the program record, and remained unbeaten in Conference USA play following the result.
The Lady Flames struggled to find an offensive breakthrough against a Sam Houston defense that kept the visitors off the scoreboard for the first time since August. Neither team managed to score over 90 minutes, with Liberty unable to extend its winning streak despite entering the contest as one of the hottest teams in Division I women’s soccer.
Sunday’s result moves Liberty to 13-2-2 overall and 6-0-1 in conference play. While the 11-game winning streak is over, the Lady Flames have now gone 12 consecutive matches without a loss and remain unbeaten against CUSA opponents during the 2026 season.
Liberty returns home Sunday, Nov. 1, to host Missouri State at Osborne Stadium. The Lady Flames will look to finish the regular season strongly before heading to the Conference USA Championship in November.
MEN’S SOCCER (4-7-2, 2-3 SOCON)
Liberty’s men’s soccer team suffered another shutout loss Tuesday evening, falling 2-0 to Seton Hall in a nonconference matchup at Owens T. Collins Field in South Orange, New Jersey.
The Pirates controlled the action for much of the contest, outshooting the Flames 23-5 and holding an 11-1 advantage in shots during the first half. Liberty goalkeeper Tyler Beck kept the match scoreless through the opening 45 minutes, recording seven first-half saves as Seton Hall repeatedly threatened. The Pirates finally broke through in the 52nd minute when Sivert Ryssdalsnes scored off assists from Charlie Herley and Matt Iriarte. Seton Hall continued to pressure the Liberty defense, and Timothy Valentine added a second goal in the 85th minute to secure the 2-0 victory.
Beck finished with a career-high 11 saves, keeping Liberty within striking distance despite the Pirates’ offensive pressure. Dylan Swinehart led the Flames with three shot attempts, but Liberty managed only one shot on target for the match.
The defeat marked Liberty’s third consecutive shutout loss and dropped the Flames to 4-7-2 overall. The contest was also Liberty’s final regular-season road game, leaving the team with a 2-6-2 record away from home.
The Flames will return to Osborne Stadium for their final two home games of the regular season, beginning with a nonconference matchup against Oral Roberts on Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 1 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL (14-8, 6-4 CUSA)
Liberty volleyball bounced back from a difficult road trip with a two-match sweep of Sam Houston at Liberty Arena, winning Friday’s opener in straight sets before earning a hard-fought four-set victory Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Flames opened the weekend with a 25-18, 28-26, 25-21 sweep. Liberty hit .327 for the match and recorded 12 blocks, controlling the net against a Bearkats squad that struggled to find offensive consistency. Paige Overcash led the way with 14 kills, while Addison Hart added 12 kills without committing an attack error. Liberty narrowly escaped the second set after Sam Houston pushed the score beyond the usual 25-point threshold, but the Lady Flames closed it out at 28-26 before securing the sweep in the third.
Saturday’s rematch proved much more dramatic. Liberty earned a 25-16, 27-25, 31-33, 26-24 victory in a match featuring 42 ties and 16 lead changes. Sam Houston fought off match point in the third set, extending the contest with a 33-31 win, but Liberty responded by holding off another late Bearkats push in the fourth.
Overcash and Jenna Otts paced the Lady Flames with 19 kills apiece. Overcash added 11 digs and five blocks, while Otts delivered one of her best offensive performances of the season. Alison Bierwagen recorded 33 assists and 10 digs for a double-double, and Charli Crowson added 21 assists and 11 digs. Melis Ural led Liberty defensively with a career-high 22 digs. Liberty outhit Sam Houston .284 to .202 and finished with advantages in kills, assists, service aces and blocks. The Lady Flames recorded 10 service aces, their highest total of the season, while also establishing a new Liberty Arena record with the 33-31 third set.
The two victories improve Liberty to 6-4 in CUSA play after a three-match losing streak the previous week. The Lady Flames have now won six of their eight matches against the Bearkats in the all-time series.
Liberty heads to Georgia next weekend for a conference series against Kennesaw State on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31.
CROSS COUNTRY
Liberty’s cross country teams have completed their regular-season schedule the previous weekend at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational and Roanoke XC Invitational.
The Lady Flames were led by Allie Zealand at the Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana, where she finished 15th in the women’s blue 6K in 19:44.5. Liberty placed 25th out of 43 women’s teams, while the men’s squad finished 39th out of 44 teams.
At the Roanoke XC Invitational, Sophia Park led a small group of Liberty women with a third-place finish in 22:03.5. Sonja Semling placed fourth, while Kaila Atteberry finished eighth with a personal-best time.
The Flames now turn their attention to the Conference USA Cross Country Championships, scheduled for Oct. 31 in Huntsville, Alabama. The Lady Flames will look to capture their third consecutive conference championship, while the men’s team will aim to finish its season with a strong showing against the league’s top programs.
