Field Hockey Takes to the Road
9/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
The No. 17 Liberty Lady Flames field hockey squad begins a four-game road trip Friday when they take on Ohio at 4:30 p.m. in Athens, Ohio. On Sunday the Lady Flames will travel to Kentucky for a Top 20 bout with No. 11 Louisville at 1 p.m.
How to Follow the Lady Flames
Live stats will be available for both contests by clicking on the appropriate links on the field hockey schedule/results panel of LibertyFlames.com. Live video will also be available for Sunday's contest. Live stats for Friday's contest will be provided by the Ohio Sports Information department. For Sunday's contest, live stats and live video will be made available by the Louisville Sports Information department.
About Liberty
The Lady Flames are 4-0 heading into the weekend for the first time in program history after defeating Penn, Lafayette and Richmond this past week. Liberty has scored 4.75 goals per game while surrendering just two per contest.
Quick Facts:
- Lady Flames are coming off a season-high seven goals in Tuesday's 7-1 victory over Richmond.
- Liberty is only one of 10 NCAA Division I teams that remain undefeated heading into the weekend.
- The Lady Flames are ranked No. 17 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll, marking the highest national ranking in program history.
- Ashlee Krulock leads the squad in points with 10 (4 goals and 2 assists).
- Sarah Gipe and Natalie Barr continue to stay neck and neck for the program's all-time career goal lead as Gipe has 43 and Barr sits in second place with 42.
- Senior goalkeeper Mallory Cuccio leads the program with 29 career wins and needs 31 saves to surpass Ann Jefferis for the most saves in program history.
- Nine different Lady Flames have scored at least one goal during the first four contests.
Lady Flames against the Bobcats
Liberty will take on Ohio for the second time in program history. A year ago, the Lady Flames blanked the Bobcats by a score of 5-0 on Sept. 26 in Lynchburg, Va. Five different players netted a goal in the victory as Liberty pulled away in the second half, notching four second-half goals.
Scouting Ohio: The Bobcats enter Friday's contest with a 2-2 overall record. Most recently, Ohio defeated VCU by a score of 3-2 in Richmond, Va. to snap a two-game losing skid. Friday's matchup serves as the Bobcats' home opener. Maria Russell leads the way offensively for Ohio with three goals and one assist for a points total of seven. The Bobcats have tallied nine goals in their first four contests while also giving up nine in the process.
Liberty Played the Cards Right
The Lady Flames are 1-0 all-time against the Louisville Cardinals. On Sept. 28, 2014, Liberty beat then No. 11 Louisville by a score of 2-1. Mallory Cuccio stoned the penalty stroke that was delivered by Louisville's Mallory Mason to solidify the victory for the red and blue. The Lady Flames will have the same chance to defeat No. 11 Louisville on Sunday, this time on the Cardinals' turf.
Scouting the Cardinals: Louisville is one of the other 10 teams alongside Liberty that remains undefeated headed into the weekend. The Cardinals will square off with No. 6 Virginia on Friday at 6 p.m. with both teams hoping to remain undefeated. Louisville is led offensively by Stephanie Byrne who has four goals. Most impressive is the Cardinals' defense having surrendered just one goal during the first four contests. Louisville is outscoring opponents 14-1 during the first four contests and holding a 47-9 advantage in shots on goal.
Looking Ahead
Following this weekend's contests, Liberty will continue its four-game road swing on Sept. 20 when the Lady Flames travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to take on Wake Forest at 1 p.m.
