Liberty University
(18-2)
Saint Joseph's
(16-5)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Joseph's | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Liberty | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
No. 9 Liberty Shuts Out No. 11 Saint Joseph’s 2-0, Advances to Elite 8
11/12/2021 7:34:00 PM | Field Hockey
No. 9 Liberty shut out No. 11 Saint Joseph's 2-0 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Field Hockey Championship at Rutgers' Bauer Track/Field Hockey Complex, Friday afternoon. With the victory, Liberty advances to the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 for the first time in program history.
Liberty also set a new school record with its 18th win, improving to 18-2 on the season. The Lady Flames have now won 15 straight games, the longest streak in the nation. The Saint Joseph's Hawks, the A10 champions, see their season end with a 16-5 record in what was their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five seasons.
Liberty's shutout was its seventh of the season, and the Lady Flames improve to 8-2 against top-25 teams this year. Liberty's two goals came from senior forward Charlotte Vaanhold and freshman forward Martu Cian.
Liberty will move on to face No. 1 seed and host Rutgers (19-3) in Sunday's NCAA quarterfinal round. Match time is 1 p.m. The Scarlet Knights, the Big Ten champions, defeated No. 17 Delaware (13-9) 2-1 in their first round match earlier in the day.
Scoring Summary
30' – LIBERTY – Charlotte Vaanhold (Jodie Conolly)
44' – LIBERTY – Martu Cian (unassisted)
Goalkeepers
W: Azul Iritxity Irigoyen 18-2, one save
L: Robin Bleekemolen 16-5, three saves
Turning Point
Liberty scored its first goal of the match with exactly 30 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter. Following a Saint Joseph's foul, Conolly sent an aerial ball down the field to Vaanhold in stride. With a Hawks defender closing in on her, Vaanhold entered the circle and sent a shot while she was sliding over the head of goalkeeper Robin Bleekemolen and into the top of the cage. The senior forward's goal, her seventh of the season, staked Liberty to a 1-0 edge at the break.
The Lady Flames' second goal came from Cian. Senior defender Maddie Hosler sent a ball to Cian in space up the left side of the field. The Liberty forward collected the ball, dribbled into the left side of the circle and fired a shot into the left side of the cage at the 43:41 mark for a 2-0 Lady Flames lead.
Key Stats & Notes
• Liberty improves to 2-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. The Lady Flames' other win was a 3-1 victory over Richmond exactly seven years ago today (Nov. 12, 2014), a play-in game at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
• Liberty's 18 victories this season are a new school record, eclipsing the previous record of 17 wins set by the 2013 squad.
• The Lady Flames held a 16-8 advantage in shots, with Jill Bolton (five shots) and Conolly (four shots) leading the way. Liberty's 16 shots are its most in a postseason game since tallying 23 shots in a 4-0 win over Providence in a BIG EAST Championship semifinal game on Nov. 2, 2018.
• Liberty drew eight penalty corners in the contest, with seven in the first half. Saint Joseph's, who entered today's game as the national leader in penalty corners per game (8.85), was limited to four penalty corners and no goals on those corner chances.
• The Lady Flames held a Hawks team who entered the game sixth in the nation in goals per game (3.35) without a goal. This is the second time Saint Joseph's has been shut out this season (other: 1-0 loss overtime loss at No. 21 UMass, Oct. 15).
• Liberty has won seven straight games against top-25 foes.
• This was Liberty's second straight shutout. The Lady Flames also blanked No. 19 UConn in the BIG EAST title game, last Sunday. Liberty has held its opponents to one goal or less in 15 of 20 games this fall.
• Vaanhold has a team-best three goals in three postseason games, this fall. She scored two goals in Liberty's 4-2 BIG EAST Championship semifinal win over Temple a week ago.
• Conolly's second quarter assist to Vaanhold gives her a team-high 11 this year.
• Liberty sophomore goalkeeper Azul Iritxity Irigoyen recorded her sixth shutout of the season and ninth of her career. The nine shutouts are tied for the second most in program history for a Lady Flames goalkeeper.
• Liberty improves to 2-1 all-time against St. Joe's. Prior to today, the two teams hadn't met since Aug. 30, 2013, a 4-0 Lady Flames win.
Up Next
Liberty will face No. 1 Rutgers on Sunday at 1 p.m. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools, with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The game can be seen on Big Ten Plus.
Sunday (Second Round/Elite 8)
1 p.m. – No. 9 Liberty (18-2) vs. No. 1 Rutgers (19-3)
The NCAA Field Hockey Championship Elite 8 field consists of No. 1 Rutgers, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Iowa, No. 5 Maryland, No. 7 Northwestern, No. 9 Liberty, No. 10 Syracuse and No. 12 Harvard. Michigan will host the semifinals and final on Nov. 19 and Nov. 21 at Phyllis Ocker Field Hockey Field in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Team Stats
VAANHOLD, Charlotte (7)
Assisted By: CONOLLY, Jodie
Aerial from 8, breakaway shot from 9 int
29:30
CIAN, Martu (6)
Carried in wide open, shot into left sid
43:41
