Liberty Set for Road Test at No. 1 UConn on Saturday
10/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
The Liberty field hockey field hockey team will face a stern test on Saturday, when it visits No. 1 Connecticut.
The contest is set for a noon start at the George J. Sherman Family-Sports Complex and will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Liberty enters the contest with a 5-6 overall record and 3-1 mark in BIG EAST play. The Lady Flames defeated No. 20 American, 2-1, in overtime, last Thursday and bested Georgetown, 8-0, this past Saturday in Lynchburg in their last two outings.
The Huskies are the only unbeaten team remaining in the nation at 13-0 and stand in first place in the BIG EAST at 4-0. They earned a pair of home wins, 6-0 over Villanova and 9-2 over Dartmouth, last weekend.
How to Follow the Lady Flames
A live video stream will be available for the match through CBS Interactive and UConn's field hockey schedule/results page. A subscription to the site is required to access the live stream. You can find the link for the broadcast on the field hockey schedule/results panel.
Live stats for the match will be available by clicking the appropriate link on the field hockey schedule/results panel on LibertyFlames.com.
Also, be sure to follow @LUGameDay on Twitter for live in-game updates from the match.
BIG EAST Breakdown
In its first year as an affiliate member of the BIG EAST, the Lady Flames are 3-1 in conference play. Liberty earned 5-1 and 6-1 victories over Villanova and Quinnipiac on Sept. 16 and Sept. 23, respectively, while defeating Georgetown, 8-0, this past Saturday.
Liberty's lone conference loss came on Sept. 30. The Lady Flames fell, 2-1 in overtime, to then-No. 14 Old Dominion. In four BIG EAST games, the Lady Flames have outscored their opponents, 20-4.
Liberty freshman forward Kendra Jones and freshman goalkeeper Allison Schaefer garnered recognition from the league office this week. Jones was tabbed the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, while Schaefer earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week accolades.
Liberty players have made regular appearances in the BIG EAST Field Hockey Weekly Honors list. Schaefer has been selected the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week and also been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Both Bethany and Serena Barr garnered recognition the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Sept. 19, while junior Summer Parker most recently made the weekly honor roll on Sept. 26.
Here's what the BIG EAST Conference standings currently look like:
| Team | Overall | Conference |
| No. 1 Connecticut | 13-0 | 4-0 |
| Providence | 10-3 | 3-1 |
| Liberty | 5-6 | 3-1 |
| No. 19 Old Dominion | 6-6 | 2-2 |
| Temple | 5-9 | 2-2 |
| Quinnipiac | 3-10 | 2-2 |
| Georgetown | 4-9 | 0-4 |
| Villanova | 3-11 | 0-4 |
Lady Flames News and Notes
- UConn will be the seventh ranked opponent Liberty has faced this season.
- Abby Julius tied a program record with three assists on Saturday vs. Georgetown. Serena Barr, Erin Dombach and Ashlee Krulock are the only other Lady Flames to accomplish the feat. Dombach was the last to collect a trio of assists, tying the mark on Oct. 4, 2015, at Temple.
- Liberty's eight goals against Georgetown was the fourth time in program history the team has scored that many in a contest.
- The Lady Flames recorded 31 shots on Saturday, which was the fourth-most in school history for a single match.
- Alynn Richardson and Kendra Jones lead the team with six goals each.
- Freshman defender Mallory Fortenbaugh recorded her team-leading third defensive save of 2016 in Saturday's match against Georgetown. She is tied for second in defensive saves in a single season with former player Natalie Barr, who accomplished the feat in 2013. Barr holds the record of four defensive saves in a season, set in 2012.
- Fortenbaugh's three defensive saves is good for 11th-best in the country.
- Serena Barr and Bethany Barr lead the team in points with 15 apiece. Both players have of four goals and seven assists.
- The Barr sisters are both ranked 19th in the nation in assists per game (0.64).
- Freshman goalkeeper Allison Schaefer ranks third in program history in career saves with 68.
- Schaefer was recognized at the national level on Wednesday, as she received honorable mention on the Longstreth/NFHCA Division I Weekly Awards.
- Schaefer ranks 15th in the country in save percentage (.747), 18th in saves per game (6.18) and 36th in goals against average (2.02).
- Head coach Jodi Murphy notched her 70th career victory at Liberty with Saturday's victory over Georgetown. She has a 70-42 record in her sixth season in charge of the program.
- The Lady Flames hold a 78-49 advantage over their opponents in penalty corners drawn on the season.
- Liberty has outscored its opponents, 33-23, this season.
- Four different Lady Flames have game-winning goals this season: Kendra Jones (2), Bethany Barr, Summer Parker and Agueda Moroni.
- Liberty is currently No. 34 in the NCAA Field Hockey RPI, up nine spots from last week (No. 43).
- The last time the Lady Flames played the top-ranked team in the nation came on Oct. 19, 2014, when they hosted North Carolina.
Scouting Connecticut
The Huskies come in near or at the top of several categories in the national statistical rankings. UConn is among the leaders in goals per game (second, 5.08), assists per game (second, 4.15), points per game (second, 14.31), scoring average (second, 5.08), scoring margin (second, 4.24) and goals against average (first, 0.85).
UConn is led on the offensive end by junior forward Charlotte Veitner (20 g, 9 a, 49 pts). Veitner ranks first in the nation in goals per game (1.54) and points per game (3.77). Junior Casey Umstead (13 g, 8 a, 34 pts) and sophomore Amanda Collins (12 g , 9 a, 33 pts) have also proved to be formidable scoring options, while senior Anna Middendorf anchors a defense that has yielded only 11 goals in 13 matches.
Nina Klein (13-0-0, 0.85 GAA) will handle the goalkeeping duties for the Huskies. The redshirt junior ranks first in the nation in goals against average.
UConn is coached by Nancy Stevens, who is in her 27th season at the school and 38th overall as a head coach. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division I Field Hockey history with 630 career wins.
A Look Ahead
The Lady Flames will return to the Northeast next weekend. They will travel to Providence for a match on Friday, Oct. 21. The match is set for 7 p.m. at Lennon Family Field in Providence, R.I. The Friars (10-3, 3-1 BIG EAST) are currently in second place in the conference standings and will play at Georgetown tomorrow.
