Liberty University
1-3
Duke
4-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Duke | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 18 |
Lady Flames Fall 18-4 on the Road at No. 11 Duke
2/28/2023 10:00:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
The Liberty Lady Flames lacrosse team fell 18-4 on the road to the No. 11 Duke Blue Devils, Tuesday evening at Koskinen Stadium.
Duke (4-1) started the game with five straight goals, including a quick hat trick by Katie DeSimone. Liberty (1-3) scored two to answer back, cutting the lead to 5-2, but could not hang on after Duke bumped the lead to 10-3 at the half.
Liberty falls to 0-3 all-time against Duke.
Liberty midfielder Lizzy Ferguson, this week's ASUN Player of the Week, tallied one goal and one assist along with one ground ball, three draw controls and one caused turnover.
Liberty's Mackenzie Lehman managed two goals on the day along with Cami Merkel netting a goal. Lehman leads the squad with eight goals through the first four games.
The Lady Flames have yet to win a game on the road this season after facing three ranked teams. Liberty has visited No. 1 North Carolina, No. 21 Richmond and now No. 11 Duke.
Scoring Summary
Liberty Goals: Mackenzie Lehman 2, Cami Merkel 1, Lizzy Ferguson 1
Liberty Assists: None
Duke Goals: Katie DeSimone 5, Eva Greco 3, Anna Callahan 2, Caroline DeBellis 1, Veronica Hineman 1, Maddie McCorkle 1, Lexi Schmalz 1, Katie Keller 1, Kerry Nease 1, Carly Bernstein 1, Amanda Fedor 1
Duke Assists: Caroline DeBellis 4, Anna Callahan 1, Katie DeSimone 1, Veronica Hineman 1, Maddie McCorkle 1, Lexi Schmalz 1
Goalkeepers
W: Shaye Fitzpatrick 1-1, 13 saves
L: Mara Tellers 1-3, one save
Turning Point
Liberty got on the board at 11:35 in the second quarter and added two more scores to make it 6-3 in favor of the Blue Devils, but that was as close as Liberty would get. Duke went on two big scoring runs, with a five-goal run and then a seven-goal run to end the game.
First Half Summary
• Liberty failed to notch a goal in the first quarter, while Duke's Katie Desimone got three straight Duke goals in the frame. Desimone added two more in the second frame to give her five goals for the game.
• The Lady Flames got their first goal from Lizzy Ferguson at the 11:35 mark of the second quarter. Liberty grabbed two of the next three goals before Duke pulled away with four goals to end the half.
Second Half Summary
• The Lady Flames only managed a single goal from Ferguson in the second half. The Blue Devils ended the game with seven straight goals.
• Liberty inserted Taylor Gallarello in goal at the beginning of the half. The sophomore managed two saves in the second stanza.
Key Stats & Notes
• A key matchup in the game was between the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the nation in draw controls per game with Duke's Maddie Jenner facing Liberty's Lizzy Ferguson. Jenner won the battle in the circle, winning 14 draws compared to Ferguson's three.
• Liberty's defense totaled 16 caused turnovers, with Mikayla Coghill leading the way with four. Hannah Davis and Andrea Colavito also managed three caused turnovers.
• The Lady Flames' Cami Merkel tied a game high with seven total shots. Liberty had seven players manage multiple shots on goal.
• Liberty managed its best attack in the third quarter by getting off 11 shots but only found the back of the net once.
• Liberty midfielder Andrea Colavito led the Lady Flames in ground balls with four. Liberty defenders Coghill and Davis each scooped up three ground balls.
Up Next
• Liberty comes back to Lynchburg next week to face No. 12 James Madison (3-1). First draw is set for Wednesday at 5 p.m. from the Liberty Lacrosse Field.
• The Lady Flames are seeking their first win against the Dukes. Liberty currently sits at 0-3 in the series having last met in 2022 with then-No. 11 JMU grabbing a 22-3 win at home.
