Liberty University
(12-7)
No. 2W California
(8-10)
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAL | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Liberty | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Second Half Goal Explosion Lifts Lady Flames over Cal
11/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
70 minutes and five goals later, the NorPac defending champion Liberty Lady Flames field hockey squad secured its place in the 2014 NorPac Final on Saturday. For the third consecutive season, the Lady Flames advanced to the conference's title game following a 5-1 victory over No. 2W seed California on Friday at the Pacific Field Hockey Turf in Stockton, Calif.
In the 21st minute of play, Lara Kruggel of Cal put the Golden Bears on top in the contest by ripping shot into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead. The goal was the only marker of the first half despite Liberty outshooting the Golden Bears, 4-2, in the opening half.
Liberty came out of the gates firing on all cylinders to begin the second half. 15 seconds into the contest's final half, the Lady Flames evened the score at 1-1. Sarah Gipe dribbled into the circle and sent a pass forward to Ashlee Krulock in front of the net. Krulock settled the ball and tucked it inside the near post, beating Courtney Hendrickson for her 11th goal of the season.
In the 41st minute, Liberty went ahead on the scoreboard for good. Natalie Barr weaved through several defenders, heading into the circle. Gaining open space, Barr fired a shot through Hendrickson's legs and into the goal. Barr's fifth goal of the year gave Liberty a 2-1 lead.
The Lady Flames notched their third goal during the opening eight minutes of the second half when leading scorer Gipe scored. A shot by Barr was deflected away from the goal, but right into the direction of Gipe. She ripped the rebound into the net for her 16th goal of the season and a two-goal Liberty advantage.
After the pace of play slowed, Liberty tacked on another goal during the 55th minute. Hannah Jones netted her fourth goal of the season off of a Lady Flames' short corner. Jones inserted the ball to Serena Barr at the top of the circle. Barr returned the pass to Jones who was open on the left side of circle, redirecting the ball inside the near post for the 4-1 lead.
Liberty struck for the final goal of the contest during the 62nd minute, when Gipe scored her second goal of the contest and her 17th goal of the season to collect her third multi-goal game of the year. Gipe gain possession of the ball just inside midfield, dribbling uncontested into the circle. From there, Gipe scored for what proved to be the final score of 5-1.
The Lady Flames owned the shots advantage over the Golden Bears, 14-3. Liberty moves to 12-7 on the season, while Cal drops to 8-10.
The Lady Flames return to action tomorrow, seeking their second consecutive NorPac title. Liberty will take on No. 1W Stanford at the Pacific Field Hockey Turf in NorPac Final. Game time is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET.
Team Stats
Kruggel, Lara (12)
Dribbled into circle and fired home
20:43
KRULOCK, Ashlee (11)
Assisted By: GIPE, Sarah
Dribbled in, passed in and shot near sid
35:15
BARR, Natalie (5)
Dribbled in and fired to right side, thr
40:49
GIPE, Sarah (16)
Off rebound from missed attempt
42:35
JONES, Hannah (4)
Assisted By: BARR, Serena
Off penalty corner passed back to insert
54:42
GIPE, Sarah (17)
Unassisted, dribbled straight in
61:36
