Lady Flames to Play at No. 20 American on Thursday Afternoon
10/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
The Liberty field hockey team travels to the nation's capital for a non-conference matchup at No. 20 American on Thursday.
The match is set for a 2 p.m. start at Jacobs Field in Washington, D.C., and will be the first-ever meeting between the Lady Flames and the Eagles. This will be Liberty's sixth match of 2016 against a ranked opponent.
Liberty enters with a 3-6 overall record and 2-1 mark in BIG EAST play, after suffering their first BIG EAST loss last Friday, 2-1 in overtime, at No. 14 Old Dominion. American is 7-3 overall and 3-0 in Patriot League play.
How to Follow the Lady Flames
Live stats for the contest can be found on the field hockey schedule/results panel. Live video for the match will be streamed on the Patriot League Network via Campus Insiders. Visit the field hockey schedule/results panel on LibertyFlames.com for the video link.
Also, be sure to follow @LUGameDay on Twitter for live in-game updates from the match.
Lady Flames News and Notes
- Junior forward Alynn Richardson scored her fourth goal of the season last Friday at No. 14 Old Dominion. Richardson now has 12 career goals and moved into ninth place all-time in program history in the category.
- Serena Barr ranks 16th in the country in assists per game at 0.67, while her sister Bethany Barr checks in at 40th in the country (0.56) in the category.
- Serena Barr leads the team in points with 14. The senior has four goals and six assists.
- Freshman goalkeeper Allison Schaefer ranks third in program history in career saves with 57.
- Schaefer is 16th in the nation in saves per game at 6.33 and 24th in save percentage at .722.
- Head coach Jodi Murphy is two wins shy of 70 career victories at Liberty. She has a 68-42 record in her sixth season in charge of the program.
- The Lady Flames hold a 67-37 advantage over their opponents in penalty corners on the season.
- Liberty has outscored its opponents, 23-22, on the season.
Scouting American
The Eagles have scored 33 goals in 10 games while holding opponents to just 16. American is led on the attack by senior forward Natalie Koneth, who has 19 points (9 g, 1 a) on the season.
Junior forward Leah DiGiandomenico (6 g, 3 a, 15 pts) also poses a viable threat on the offensive end along with junior forward Haley Bowcutt (5 g, 1 a, 11 pts).
Goalkeeping duties will likely be the responsibility of Maura Jacobs. The sophomore is 5-1-0 with a 1.67 GAA, which ranks 19th-best in the country.
The Eagles are coached by Steve Jennings, who is in his 16th year as head field hockey coach at American.
A Look Ahead
The Lady Flames will play their third home game of 2016 against BIG EAST opponent Georgetown (4-8, 0-3 BIG EAST) on Saturday at noon at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
