Liberty’s fall sports are officially underway all over campus, and we will provide weekly updates on all of the teams throughout the semester.
CROSS COUNTRY
Allie Zealand made a strong bid for the Joe Plane Notre Dame Invitational women’s 5K individual title before finishing second in a program record 15:54:7. Her effort led the Lady Flames to a fifth place finish in the women’s standings. Meanwhile, the Flames put four men inside the top 40 of the men’s 8K at Burke Golf Course as the men’s squad came in eighth.
The women’s cross country “B” team took second place at the Spartan Classic in Kernersville, North Carolina. Sophia Park’s third place women’s 5K individual finish led the Lady Flames, putting them only nine points behind the meet champion No. 25 Wake Forest’s “B” squad. Liberty topped host UNCG’s “A” team who finished third in the 14-team field.
Liberty will close out the regular season with a pair of Oct. 18 competitions. Most of the team will head to Columbia, Missouri for the Pre-National Invitational. Meanwhile, the Lady Flames will also look to defend their team title at the Roanoke XC Invitational in Salem, Virginia.
#7 FIELD HOCKEY (10-2, 5-0 Big East)
On Friday, Kyleigh Faust’s fourth quarter goal pushed Liberty past Georgetown, 1-0. Faust’s first goal in nearly two years secured Liberty’s sixth straight win overall. Her last goal was on Oct. 27, 2023 against the same Georgetown team. Liberty held advantages in shots (19-2), shots on goal (13-0), and penalty corners (16-0).
No. 3 Virginia edged No. 7 Liberty, 1-0, on Tuesday night in a top 10 matchup between Commonwealth teams. The Cavaliers struck for the only goal of the game in the ninth minute. Liberty had its share of scoring chances, including a pair of penalty corners in the second period and one in the third.
Liberty will return to action on Friday afternoon against Big East opponent Providence. Match time from Lynchburg. is 1 p.m. On Sunday, the Flames host Saint Joe’s for a non-conference tilt at Noon.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (9-3-4, 4-0-2 CUSA)
Liberty defeated Kennesaw State, 2-1, at home on Thursday night. Halle Engle scored her fifth goal of the season and added an assist, while Ivy Garner assisted on both tallies. The Lady Flames registered 21 shots to three from the Owls.
Liberty dominated on Sunday, defeating Jacksonville State, 5-0 at home as the Lady Flames remain in first place in the CUSA standings. Ivy Garner scored 1 goal and had 2 assists in the win. Liberty dominated possession throughout the game, unleashing a season high 29 shots while allowing just one from the Gamecocks.
The Lady Flames continue conference play this week, playing at Delaware on Sunday at Noon with just two games remaining in the regular season.
MEN’S SOCCER (7-3-3, 3-1-1 OVC)
Liberty and Southern Indiana played to a 2-2 draw Thursday afternoon in Evansville, Indiana. The Flames jumped out to a 2-0 lead only to see host USI rally over the final 23 minutes for the tie in Liberty’s first conference road game of the season. Sam Farner scored Liberty’s first goal minutes into the game and assisted on the second goal coming in the second half.
The Flames used a solid defensive effort to knock the Lindenwood Lions from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 1-0 victory on Sunday at Osborne Stadium in Lynchburg. After a scoreless first half, Liberty broke through during the 59th minute for the game’s lone goal by Leo Conneh.
This week, Liberty continues OVC play, playing at Eastern Illinois Thursday at 4 p.m. and at Western Illinois Sunday at Noon.
VOLLEYBALL (15-4, 3-3 CUSA)
Liberty defeated Kennesaw State in four sets on Friday night at Liberty Arena. On Saturday in the rematch, the Owls outlasted the Lady Flames in five sets. Kennesaw was able to rally from a 2-1 deficit in the win as they improved to 4-2 in CUSA play.
This week, Liberty plays at Middle Tennessee Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.
