Liberty to Meet Saint Joseph’s in NCAA FH Championship First Round, Friday
11/11/2021 11:58:12 AM | Field Hockey
Daniella Rhodes Press Conference
Live Stats: Liberty vs. Saint Joseph's
Live Video: Liberty vs. Saint Joseph's
NCAA Field Hockey Championship Program
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NCAA Field Hockey Championship Bracket
BIG EAST Field Hockey Home Page
BIG EAST champion Liberty will face Atlantic 10 champion Saint Joseph’s in the first round of the NCAA Field Hockey Championship, Friday afternoon.
Liberty and Saint Joseph’s will meet on the pitch at 1:30 p.m. at Rutgers’ Bauer Track/Field Hockey Complex in Piscataway, N.J. The Lady Flames enter the weekend with a 17-2 overall record and the nation’s longest current winning streak at 14 games. Liberty, ranked ninth in the final Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll, topped Connecticut 1-0 this past Sunday for its first BIG EAST title in program history and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Saint Joseph’s is the No. 11-ranked team in the country and edged VCU 1-0 in the A10 title match, last Saturday. The Hawks have captured four of the last five A10 crowns. Liberty and Saint Joseph’s will be meeting for the third time ever but first time since 2013.
The winner of the Liberty/Saint Joseph’s match will move on to the quarterfinals and face either No. 1 Rutgers (18-3) or No. 17 Delaware, who will play on Friday morning (11 a.m.) in the other Sweet 16 game.
Friday’s matchup can be seen on Big Ten Plus.
NCAA Championship First and Second Round Games
Bauer Track/Field Hockey Complex, Piscataway, N.J.
Friday (First Round/Sweet 16)
11 a.m. – No. 1 Rutgers (18-3) vs. No. 17 Delaware (13-8)
1:30 p.m. – No. 9 Liberty (17-2) vs. No. 11 Saint Joseph’s (16-4)
Sunday (Second Round/Elite 8)
1 p.m. – Winners of first round games
Liberty History in the NCAA Championship and History Versus the Four Teams
• NCAA Championship appearances for Liberty: 3 – 2013, 2014 and Fall 2021
• NCAA Tournament record: 1-2
• NCAA Tournament wins: Liberty topped Richmond 3-1 in an opening round game on Nov. 12, 2014 at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
• NCAA Tournament losses: No. 20 Liberty lost 2-1 to No. 1 North Carolina in a first round game on Nov. 15, 2014 in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Lady Flames fell to No. 14 Delaware 1-0 in a play-in game on Nov. 13, 2013 in Newark, Del.
• Series history with Saint Joseph’s: The series is even at 1-1. The Hawks edged the Lady Flames 2-1 in the 2012 season opener. Liberty bested Saint Joseph’s 4-0 in the 2013 season opener.
• Series history with Rutgers: The two teams have not faced each other.
• Series history with Delaware: Delaware leads the series 2-1. The Blue Hens edged the Lady Flames 3-2 in the most recent meeting on Sept. 10, 2017 at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
• What a win on Friday over Saint Joseph’s would mean: A win on Friday would be Liberty’s first ever victory in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16.
Lady Flames News and Notes
• Liberty enters the NCAA Championship with the nation’s top offense. The Lady Flames lead the country in goals per game (3.84), scoring average (3.84), points per game (11.00) and assists per game (3.32). Liberty also ranks second nationally in scoring margin (2.74) and 10th in penalty corners per game (7.47).
• Liberty paced all BIG EAST squads with six all-conference honorees, led by BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and All-BIG EAST first team member Daniella Rhodes. Rhodes, forward Jill Bolton and defender Bethany Dykema were all unanimous first team selections, while goalkeeper Azul Iritxity Irigoyen was also named to the first team. Lizzie Hamlett and Jodie Conolly rounded out the Lady Flames All-BIG EAST honorees, as they were both named to the second team.
• Rhodes is ranked No. 5 in the nation in goals per game (1.00) and points per game (2.44). Bolton is eighth nationally in both goals per game (0.89) and points per game (2.11). Conolly is 22nd in the country in assists per game (0.57). Iritxity Irigoyen is 11th in goals-against-average (1.13).
• Liberty’s BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament team selections included Bolton (MVP), Rhodes, Bethany Dykema and Charlotte Vaanhold.
• Liberty’s current 14-game winning streak is four games longer than the next longest streak of 10 games, held by No. 12 Harvard (15-1).
• Liberty went unbeaten in BIG EAST regular season play (7-0) for the first time in program history, this fall.
• The Lady Flames have scored four or more goals 10 games this season and also have six shutouts.
• Michigan will host the semifinals and final on Nov. 19 and Nov. 21 at Phyllis Ocker Field Hockey Field in Ann Arbor, Mich.
