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
Facing their toughest competition of the young season and some hot weather, both Liberty teams delivered some strong performances. The men’s squad took runner-up honors at the adidas XC Challenge, while the Lady Flames came in fourth. No. 19 North Carolina prevented the men’s team from defending its adidas XC Challenge title from 2024. Liberty did outdistance everyone else in the 14-team field, including host NC State. Liberty was paced by top 20 showings by Nicholas Kiprotich, Edwin Kiprop, and Andrew Schultz.
Paced by Allie Zealand’s fifth-place individual showing, the Lady Flames finished fourth out of 14 women’s squads. Liberty trailed only No. 3 NC State, No. 15 North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Liberty will split the squad between two different meets on Oct. 3. A majority of the runners will compete in the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Indiana. The remainder of the Flames will head to Kernersville, North Carolina, for the Spartan Classic.
#5 FIELD HOCKEY (7-1, 2-0 Big East)
Liberty’s Dara Semmartin scored the only goal of the night, coming in the fourth quarter, while goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin made four saves in the final period to help lift the Lady Flames to a 1-0 shutout victory over the Big East preseason favorite UConn. Semmartin’s game winner in the 54th minute was her third goal of the season. On Sunday, Liberty secured another shutout win, this time at 4-0 on the road at William & Mary. Lou Combrinck scored two goals and Dara Semmartin and Avery Pollack each added a goal during the non-conference victory. The Lady Flames have now won three straight, all being shutouts, and have four shutouts in the last five contests.
Liberty will be back in action on Friday against Old Dominion in a key Big East matchup in Lynchburg. On Sunday, the Lady Flames play at Appalachian State.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (6-3-4, 1-0-2 CUSA)
Ivy Garner cashed in her seventh goal of the season as Liberty earned a 1-1 draw in the first of a two-game road trip at UTEP on Friday night. The Miners struck first in the 15′ minute of the contest. They controlled the action throughout the first half, not allowing any high-leverage chances for the Lady Flames. Liberty flipped the script after the break, outshooting UTEP, 16-3, in the second goal, including 10 shots on goal. With under 100 seconds remaining, Garner knocked in the equalizer. Liberty outshot UTEP 22-6 in the win and had an 11-2 edge in shots on goal.
On Sunday, Liberty put in a pristine defensive effort to limit New Mexico State to just two shots in a 2-0 road victory. The Lady Flames struck early off a corner set piece. The goalie initially blocked the ball out of the penalty area, but it found Gabby Miranda. The midfielder quickly found Avenley Monteith with space, who sent a low ball past the diving goalkeeper to open the scoring. Halle Engle scored off a free kick in the second half to extend the lead.
The Lady Flames continue conference play this week, playing at FIU on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
MEN’S SOCCER (5-2-2, 1-0 OVC)
Liberty eased past the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles to open conference play 6-1 on a rainy afternoon at Osborne Stadium. The host Flames struck for four goals while not allowing a shot attempt during the first half. Zach Lifferth scored the first three Liberty goals of the contest and midfielder Dylan Swinehart netted two goals for the Flames.
This week, Liberty continues OVC play, hosting Incarnate Word on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then hosting Houston Christian on Sunday at 7 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL (14-1, 2-0 CUSA)
Liberty completed a weekend sweep of Louisiana Tech, defeating the Bulldogs in three sets on both Friday and Saturday at Liberty Arena. With the wins, the Lady Flames’ winning nstreak runs to 10 matches. Liberty is now 6-1 all-time against LA Tech in volleyball. With 14 wins, the Lady Flames have already surpassed its win total from the 2024 season, when the team went 13-18.
This week, Liberty continues conference play and heads to El Paso, Texas where the Lady Flames face UTEP for a pair of matches on Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
