Liberty to Meet Vanderbilt in 2022 Season Opener, Saturday
2/10/2022 1:11:58 PM | Women's Lacrosse
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The Liberty women’s lacrosse squad will open its 2022 season on the road at Vanderbilt, Saturday.
First draw between the Lady Flames (10-9 in 2021) and Commodores (12-7 in 2021) is slated for 2 p.m. Eastern (1 p.m. Central) at the David Williams II Recreation and Wellness Center.
Liberty is 0-2 all-time against Vanderbilt, but this will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2015. The Commodores topped the Lady Flames 20-10 in the last meeting, Feb. 15, 2015 at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.
Lady Flames News and Notes
• Liberty paced all ASUN squads with six ASUN Preseason All-Conference team honorees, led by Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Jennifer Soriero. Joining Soriero as preseason All-ASUN selections are Brooke Bryan, Mia Toscano, Mackenzie Lehman, Mikayla Coghill and Alexa Evernham.
• The Lady Flames have been selected to finish second in the ASUN Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll for a third straight year. Four-time defending ASUN champion Jacksonville is the preseason favorite in the league.
• Liberty’s 2022 roster features two seniors, 10 juniors, 14 sophomores and 11 freshmen. Please note that the Lady Flames’ listed eligibility is based on spring sports student-athletes receiving another year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic stopping the spring 2020 season.
• Liberty finished the 2021 campaign at No. 48 in the final NCAA Women’s Lacrosse RPI listing. Vanderbilt ended the year in the No. 21 spot.
• Liberty’s 2022 schedule features four ranked opponents in the preseason ILWomen/IWLCA Division I Poll: No. 7 Florida (March 9, home), No. 8 Duke (March 29, home), No. 12 James Madison (April 13, away) and No. 18 Jacksonville (April 23, home, Senior Day).
• Liberty featured a league-best 14 players in the 2021 ASUN Conference Lacrosse Postseason Honors & Awards. Lehman earned ASUN Freshman of the Year honors.
• The Lady Flames finished fourth in the nation in caused turnovers per game (12.26) and fifth in ground balls per game (21.47), last year.
• Soriero set a new school record with 66 ground balls in 2021 and finished the year at 12th in the country in ground balls per game (3.47). The Pompton Plains, N.J., native also checked in at No. 18 in the nation in total saves with 141.
• In 2021, Bryan became the second 50-goal scorer in program history while establishing a new program record with 21 free-position goals. The Westlake, Calif., native finished the year ranked No. 17 in the country in free-position goals per game (1.11), No. 24 in total goals (50) and No. 32 in free-position percentage (.600, 21-of-35).
• The Lady Flames return 87.2 percent (205-of-235 goals) of their scoring from a year ago.
• Liberty dropped its 2021 season opener at home by a 13-5 score to No. 18 Virginia Tech. The game was contested at Liberty’s Indoor Practice Facility. The Lady Flames faced a program-record seven ranked foes in 2021.
• Liberty posted a 5-6 road record a year ago.
• The Lady Flames are 4-8 all-time in season openers. The last time Liberty won a season opener was in 2019, a 15-5 triumph at Lehigh.
