Liberty University
(11-7)
Connecticut
(11-7)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UConn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Liberty | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
No. 2 Seed Liberty Defeats No. 3 Seed UConn 2-1 in BIG EAST Semifinals
11/4/2022 9:54:00 PM | Field Hockey
No. 2 seed Liberty defeated No. 3 seed Connecticut 2-1 in the BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship semifinals, Friday at Old Dominion's L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
The Lady Flames will advance to face No. 1 seed and host ODU (15-2) in Sunday's title game. Match time is 4 p.m. and can be seen on FS1. ODU edged No. 4 seed Temple in a shootout in the first semifinal.
Liberty, the No. 19-ranked team in the country, runs its record to 11-7 and has defeated UConn in five straight meetings, including in back-to-back years in the BIG EAST Tournament. The Lady Flames edged the Huskies 1-0 in last year's championship match to capture their first-ever BIG EAST crown. UConn, the No. 24-ranked squad in the nation, slips to 11-7 on the season.
Liberty will be making its first appearance in the BIG EAST title game in seven years in the conference. The Lady Flames' other championship match appearances came in 2016, 2017, 2018 and fall 2021.
Scoring Summary
3' – UCONN – Julia Bressler (Juana Garcia)
21' – LIBERTY – Martu Cian (unassisted)
47' – LIBERTY – Jodie Conolly (Bethany Dykema and Lizzie Hamlett) | Penalty Corner
Goalkeepers
W: Azul Iritxity Irigoyen 11-7, nine saves
L: Cheyenne Sprecher 11-7, three saves
Turning Point
Liberty's Jodie Conolly scored the game-winning goal in the 47th minute, finding the left side of the cage for a 2-1 Lady Flames lead. The assists on Conolly's goal, her sixth of the season, went to Lizzie Hamlett and Bethany Dykema.
Connecticut pulled goalkeeper Cheyenne Sprecher for the final 9:24 starting when Liberty's Pima Iturraspe was issued a yellow card, giving the Huskies a two field player advantage for five minutes and a one field player edge for the final four-plus minutes. UConn earned one penalty corner with 2:13 to play, but Liberty's Bethany Dykema blocked a shot from Julia Bressler, helping the No. 2 seed preserve the victory.
The Lady Flames overcame an early one-goal deficit after Bressler found the back of the cage at the 2:33 mark in the opening period. UConn sent a flurry of shots at Liberty goalkeeper Azul Iritxity Irigoyen in the first frame (10 total), but the Liberty netminder made six saves in the first 15 minutes to keep it a one-goal game. Sophomore Martu Cian struck for Liberty in the second quarter, sending a reverse shot into the top left corner of the cage to even the contest at 1-all.
Key Stats & Notes
• Liberty goalkeeper Azul Iritxity Irigoyen made a season-high nine saves today. Her previous high this year was seven at No. 1 Northwestern, Sept. 9.
• UConn held a 16-8 advantage in total shots and 6-4 edge in penalty corners.
• Today's meeting between Liberty and UConn marked the first time that the two teams had ever meet in the BIG EAST Championship semifinal round. The two squads met in BIG EAST title games during the 2016, 2017, 2018 and fall 2021 seasons.
• Liberty has defeated UConn in five straight meetings. In those five matchups, the Lady Flames have outscored the Huskies 14-2.
• Liberty improves to 6-5 all-time in the BIG EAST Championship, the first time it has ever had an above .500 mark in the tournament.
• The Lady Flames earned their second top-25 win today. Both victories have come versus the Huskies.
Up Next
No. 2 seed Liberty (11-7) will face No. 1 seed Old Dominion (15-2) in Sunday's championship game. Game time is 4 p.m. from the L.R. Hill Sports Complex and can be seen on ESPN+.
ODU edged Liberty 1-0 in a shootout last Friday in the regular season finale. The two teams both earned a share of the BIG EAST regular season crown, but the Monarchs' victory gave them the No. 1 seed for the tournament.
Liberty is 8-7 all-time versus ODU. The two teams have never met in the title game of the BIG EAST Championship.
Team Stats
BRESSLER, Julia (8)
Assisted By: GARCIA, Juana
Scored from in close on left side
2:33
CIAN, Martu (8)
Reverse shot into top left
20:57
CONOLLY, Jodie (6)
Assisted By: DYKEMA, Bethany , HAMLETT, Lizzie
Penalty corner shot into left side
46:11
