Liberty University
0-1
No. 18 Virginia Tech
1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Tech | 9 | 4 | 13 |
| Liberty | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Liberty Drops 2021 Opener to No. 18 Virginia Tech, 13-5
2/12/2021 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Liberty opened its 2021 season with a 13-5 setback to No. 18 Virginia Tech at the Liberty Indoor Practice Facility, Friday.
The Lady Flames drop to 0-1 on the year and are now 4-8 all-time in season openers. The Hokies improve to 1-0 on the season.
Liberty was paced by attacker Leah Ruby, who had two goals and two assists. Lady Flames goalkeeper Jennifer Soriero made a career-high 15 saves in the contest, while midfielder Mackenzie Lehman scored her first career goal.
Virginia Tech's Sarah Ludnow had a game-high five points (3 g, 2 a). The Hokies also received two goals each from Paige Petty, Caroline Allen and Grace Nelson.
Thoughts From Head Coach Kelly Nangle
"It felt great to finally play a game! I'm thankful for our facilities staff and our administration for making everything work so we could play today. I am very proud of how we competed against a very good Virginia Tech team. We will have a lot to watch back and clean up as we prepare for Robert Morris this week, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to grow and get better as we continue throughout the season!"
Scoring Summary
Liberty Goals: Leah Ruby 2, Carly White 1, Mackenzie Lehman 1, Brooke Bryan 1
Liberty Assists: Leah Ruby 2, Jordan Sheive 1, Carly White 1
Virginia Tech Goals: Sarah Lubnow 3, Paige Petty 2, Caroline Allen 2, Grace Nelson 2, Emma Crooks 1, Sara Goodwin 1, Jacelyn Lazore 1, Maddie Hoffman 1
Virginia Tech Assists: Sarah Lubnow 2, Emma Crooks 1, Sara Goodwin 1, Jacelyn Lazore 1, Paige Petty 1, Sophie Student 1
Goalkeepers
W: Angie Benson 1-0, eight saves
L: Jennifer Soriero 0-1, 15 saves
Turning Point
With only three total goals scored in the opening 20 minutes of the game and Virginia Tech leading 2-1, the Hokies used a 7-0 run in the latter stages of the first half to take control of the game. During the run, six different Virginia Tech players scored, capped off by a Sara Goodwin free-position goal with 3:09 remaining in the first half to give the visitors a 9-1 lead.
Liberty trimmed the Virginia Tech lead to six (11-5) with under 15 minutes to play in the contest, but the Hokies' stout defense and two late brought the final score to 13-5.
First Half Summary
• Liberty's Lehman scored the first goal of the season 1:20 into the contest, the first career goal for the freshman midfielder. The goal put the Lady Flames ahead 1-0.
• The Hokies outshot the Lady Flames 19-7 in the opening 30 minutes and converted four free-position goals. Liberty turned the ball over 20 times in the first stanza.
Second Half Summary
• Liberty limited Virginia Tech to four goals in the final 30 minutes. The Lady Flames' Brooke Bryan and Carly White each scored their first goals of the year in the second half.
• After bringing the deficit down to six (11-5) with less than 15 minutes left, Liberty had another free-position opportunity, but Brooke Bryan's shot clanged off the left post with 13:15 to go.
Key Stats & Notes
• Soriero's 15-save game was a career best by five saves. Her previous career high had been 10 saves at home against Furman, Feb. 19, 2020.
• Liberty's Lehman, as well as Jordan Sheive, Mikayla Coghill and Alexa Evernham, each earned their first career starts. Sheive had her first career assist in the contest. Coghill and Evernham both had two caused turnovers and two ground balls in the game.Â
• Virginia Tech held a 36-18 advantage in shots and 28-13 edge over Liberty in shots on goal.
• The Lady Flames, who finished No. 2 in the nation in caused turnovers per game a season ago, generated 17 caused turnovers in the match. Mia Toscano paced the team with four caused turnovers and led the squad with five ground balls. The Hokies had 21 caused turnovers.
• Both teams recorded 10 draw controls. Toscano and Lehman tallied three each for Liberty, and Petty led Virginia Tech with three.
• Liberty struggled in the clear, converting just 19-of-31 attempts (61.3 percent). Conversely, Virginia Tech converted 20-of-22 clears (90.9 percent). The Hokies held a 32-23 advantage in ground balls.
Up Next
• Liberty will hit the road for a game at Robert Morris (0-0), next Saturday. First draw is set for 2 p.m. at Joe Walton Stadium in Moon Township, Pa.
• The Lady Flames and Colonials met last season in what turned out to be Liberty's last game of 2020 (March 5). Liberty topped Robert Morris, 14-13, in that contest on a late free-position goal from Grace Fletcher. The all-time series is tied at 3-3 between the two teams.
