Lady Flames Aim for Second Straight Conference Win
4/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
The Liberty Lady Flames lacrosse team (2-10, 1-2 Big South) aims to pick up its second consecutive conference win on Saturday at Campbell. Liberty will take on the Camels (7-6, 3-1 Big South) at noon at Barker-Lane Stadium.
Live stats and live video will be made available by the Campbell Athletic Communications department. Fans can access live stats and live video by clicking on the appropriate link on the lacrosse schedule/results panel. Fans can also follow live updates on Twitter by following @LUGameday.
Last Time Out
The Lady Flames earned a key conference win over Longwood yesterday, besting the Lancers 12-11 in Lynchburg, Va. The triumph marked the first time that the Lady Flames have beaten Longwood in program history. In a contest that featured five ties and five lead changes, Liberty capitalized on a 3-1 run with 7:16 remaining to claim the one-goal victory. The Lady Flames outshot Longwood, 31-19, and also controlled the advantage in both ground balls (21-14) and draw controls (13-12).
Kallie Britton recorded a game-high five points due in large part to a team-high four goals. Freshman attacker Kayla Foster chipped in four points on two goals and two assists. Callie Francis and Michaela Rich each collected two goals in the winning effort. Aubrie Tarris and Katherine Widrick split time in goal for Liberty, with Widrick earning the win after allowing five goals on 10 shots. Widrick also finished the contest with four saves.
Same Name, Double the Trouble
Senior captains Kallie Britton and Callie Francis rank second and third on the team in points. Britton currently ranks second in points (25) and first in goals (21). The Kansas native has chipped in four assists to her season totals. Francis ranks third on the team in points (24), second in goals (16) and second in assists (8). The duo have combined for 34 ground balls, 26 draw controls and 20 caused turnovers.
Freshman Poise
Kayla Foster continues to pace the Liberty offense in her first season of collegiate action. Foster leads the team in both points (30) and assists (16). Foster earned two assists against Longwood, placing her inside the program's top-10 list for assists in a single season. The Pennsylvania has also added 14 goals to her points total this season.
Sister Act
Sisters Abby and Kallie Britton have accounted for 29 goals and five assists thus far. Kallie leads the team in goals with 21, while Abby ranks sixth on the team with eight. The Pridemore sisters, Katy and Hannah, have also aided the Lady Flames' offense this season. Katy and Hannah have accounted for 14 goals, seven assists, 11 ground balls and 15 draw controls.
Defensive Efforts
The defensive core of Colleen Ekert, Meghan Hammond, Lindsey McNamara, Victoria Tickle and Melanie Via have anchored the Liberty defense this season. The quintet has combined for 94 of Liberty's 201 ground balls this season, to complement 64 of the Lady Flames' 113 caused turnovers. Ekert leads the squad in ground balls with 32, while Tickle ranks second with 23. Hammond ranks third among the quintet in ground balls with 15. Ekert leads the defense in caused turnovers with 25 and is 17th in the NCAA in caused turnovers per game (2.08). McNamara adds 14 caused turnovers, while Via and Tickle contribute 12 and 11, respectively.
Getting Over the Hump
Campbell enters Saturday's contest having won four of its last five contests, including three Big South matchups. Most recently, the Camels defeated Coastal Carolina yesterday by the score of 8-7 in Conway, S.C. Campbell's last loss came against High Point on March 30 when the Camels fell 15-10 at Barker-Lane Stadium.
Loren Day leads both Campbell and the NCAA in goals scored with 53. The senior attacker is second in the NCAA in goals per game (4.08) and third in points with 65. Day sits behind Longwood's Sarah Butler and Katie McHugh in the overall points category. Erica Hitch ranks second on the team in points with 61 (26 g, 35 a).
As a team, Campbell has forced 168 goals, while yielding 153. The Camels take over 30 shots per contest, while winning 13.08 draw controls and 20.07 ground balls per game.
What's Next?
Following Saturday's contest, the Lady Flames will take to the road on Wednesday. Liberty will travel to High Point, N.C., to take on the conference-leading High Point Panthers at 4 p.m.
