No. 9 Liberty Set to Open Final Four Against No. 5 Maryland on Friday Afternoon
11/17/2021 6:39:54 PM | Field Hockey
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The ninth-ranked Liberty field hockey team will play its first-ever NCAA Championship Final Four game on Friday when it takes on fifth-ranked Maryland. Match time is noon at Michigan’s Phyllis Ocker Field Hockey Field in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Liberty enters the Final Four with the nation’s longest winning streak at 16 games and a 19-2 overall mark. The Lady Flames bested No. 1 Rutgers in dramatic fashion on Sunday, topping the Scarlet Knights in a shootout to win 3-2 and advance to their first Final Four in school history. Liberty also defeated No. 12 Saint Joseph’s 2-0 in the Sweet 16, last Friday.
This is the first Final Four appearance for any Liberty Athletics team at the Division I level.
Maryland reached the Final Four with a pair of 2-1 victories over No. 13 Virginia (Friday) and No. 10 Syracuse (Sunday). The Terrapins are making their 20th appearance in the Final Four and have won eight national titles, with the last one in 2011.
Friday’s other semifinal, set for a 3 p.m. start, features No. 12 Harvard (17-1) and No. 7 Northwestern (16-5).
NCAA Championship Final Four
Phyllis Ocker Field Hockey Field, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Friday, Final Four (ESPN+)
Noon – No. 9 Liberty (19-2) vs. No. 5 Maryland (15-6)
3 p.m. – No. 12 Harvard (17-1) vs. No. 7 Northwestern (16-5)
Sunday, Championship Game (ESPNU)
2 p.m. – Winners of national semifinals
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: 3-2
• NCAA Tournament wins: Liberty edged No. 1 Rutgers 3-2 in a shootout on Sunday to reach the Final Four. The Lady Flames bested No. 12 Saint Joseph’s 2-0, last Friday in the Sweet 16. Liberty’s other NCAA Tournament win was a 3-1 victory over Richmond in an opening round/play-in 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 Maryland: Maryland leads 1-0. Liberty fell 4-1 to Maryland on Oct. 8, 2017 in College Park, Md. in what was head coach Nikki Parsley-Blocker’s first season at the helm. Current Liberty players Jill Bolton, Ashley Dykema-Pereira and Alexis Paone were freshmen at the time. Bolton scored Liberty’s only goal in that contest.
• Series history with Harvard: Harvard leads 1-0. The Crimson edged the Lady Flames 2-1 in overtime on Oct. 6, 2019 in Cambridge, Mass.
• Series history with Northwestern: Northwestern leads 1-0. Northwestern topped Liberty 4-3 this season, handing the Lady Flames one of their two losses. The game was played on Sept. 7 at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
• What a win on Friday over Maryland would mean: A win on Friday would be Liberty’s first-ever victory over Maryland and would secure a spot in Sunday’s championship game, which would also be a first for Liberty field hockey.
Lady Flames News and Notes
• Liberty enters the Final Four with the nation’s top offense. The Lady Flames lead the nation in goals per game (3.67), scoring average (3.61), scoring margin (2.53), points per game (10.52) and assists per game (3.19). Liberty also ranks eighth in the country in goals-against-average (1.08) and ninth in penalty corners per game (7.38).
• Junior forward Daniella Rhodes ranks sixth in the nation in points per game (2.17) and eighth in goals per game (0.89). Senior forward Jill Bolton is eighth in the country in points per game (2.00) and ninth in goals per game (0.86).
• Liberty is 9-2 against top-25 competition this fall and has won eight straight games against ranked teams.
• The Lady Flames have scored goals on 27 of their 155 penalty corners this season.
• 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.
• Liberty’s BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament team selections included Bolton (MVP), Rhodes, Bethany Dykema and Charlotte Vaanhold.
• Liberty’s current 16-game winning streak is four games longer the next longest active streak of 12 games held by fellow Final Four participant No. 12 Harvard (17-1).
• 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 year and also have seven shutouts. The seven shutouts are tied for the second most in a season in program history.
