Liberty University
8-6, 4-0ASUN
Stetson
7-6, 0-3ASUN
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stetson | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Liberty | 10 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 26 |
Liberty Uses 10-Goal First to Dominate Stetson on Saturday
4/15/2023 7:27:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
The Lady Flames remained undefeated in ASUN Conference play with a 20-goal win over the visiting Stetson Hatters, 26-6, Saturday afternoon at home.
Liberty used 10 first-quarter goals, including nine straight to begin the game, led by three Tori Banks points (2 g, 1 a). The Lady Flames' 26 goals are a new program single-game record, eclipsing the previous mark of 24 set against Delaware State on March 26, 2021.
Liberty improves its record to 8-6, including six wins in the last seven games. The Lady Flames solidify their sole possession of first place in the ASUN, moving to 4-0 in conference play. The Lady Flames are now 4-2 in front of the Flames faithful at home in 2023.
Three Lady Flames notched their first career goals, including Amelia Loughery (2), Kendall Coss (1) and Ava Rajala (1).
Lizzy Ferguson led the Lady Flames today with five points (3 g, 2 a), with 15 different Lady Flames notching at least one point in the contest.
Liberty outshot Stetson by 23 during the afternoon, 45-22. The Lady Flames also had 16 caused turnovers, gathered 27 ground balls and won 23 draw controls.
Scoring Summary
Liberty Goals: Lizzy Ferguson 3, Cami Merkel 3, Kelly Scott 3, Jordan Sheive 3, Tori Banks 2, Andrea Colavito 2, Amelia Loughery 2, Kate Troutman 2, Celena Kerr 1, Katie Colavito 1, Brooke Beard 1, Taiva Reinertson 1, Kendall Coss 1, Ava Rajala 1
Liberty Assists: Katie Colavito 2, Lizzy Ferguson 2, Celena Kerr 2, Tori Banks 1, Andrea Colavito 1, Mackenzie Lehman 1, Cami Merkel 1
Stetson Goals: Jordyn Humphrey 2, Samantha Paglino 1, Molly Kearney 1, Sam King 1, Georgia Goering 1
Stetson Assists: Jessica Duggan 1, Sydney Heimann 1, Samantha Paglino 1
Goalkeepers
W: Taylor Gallarello 7-1, three saves
L: Sydney Heimann 8-6, four saves
Turning Point
The Lady Flames came out on fire, scoring the first nine goals of the match and a total of 10 in the first quarter. This is the second straight year Liberty has put up 10 against Stetson in the first quarter which is tied for the Liberty record (also April 2, 2022 vs. Delaware State). Tori Banks tallied all three of her points for the game in the first quarter. Liberty got off 17 shots in the first quarter.
First Half Summary
• Liberty goalkeeper Taylor Gallarello allowed four goals in the first half, two in each quarter. Gallarello tallied three saves in her 30 minutes of play.
• The Lady Flames scored a season-high 16 goals in the first half.
• Draw controls favored the Lady Flames by a 12-4 mark.
• Liberty ended the first half with five straight goals, including a goal at the buzzer by Kelly Scott.
Second Half Summary
• The 16-4 margin going into the second half allowed the Lady Flames to showcase their depth with backup goalkeeper Mara Tellers making eight saves in 30 minutes of play, while allowing two goals.
• The Lady Flames scored five goals in each frame in the second half to complete the 20-goal margin and 26-6 win.
Key Stats & Notes
• With four points Saturday, Liberty attacker Cami Merkel matched her season total from last spring by recording her 35th point of the year. Merkel has recorded 26 goals and nine assists in just 13 games, compared to the same total in 19 contests last year.
• Liberty goalkeeper Taylor Gallarello boosted her record to 7-1 and increased her save total to 49 after grabbing three on Saturday.
• Attacker Lizzy Ferguson once again led the Lady Flames in draw controls by winning seven of a total 23 in the matchup. Ferguson added five points (3 g, 2 a) along with a ground ball and a caused turnover. With 232 career draw controls, she is one shy of tying the program record of 233, held by Brianna McCaffrey (2016-19).
• Going into Saturday's matchup, Liberty ranked fourth in the country with 12.23 caused turnovers per game and the unit exceeded that average with 18 against the Hatters.
• Hannah Davis led the team with three today, while 12 other Lady Flames recorded at least one caused turnover.
• Amelia Loughery scored her first two career goals this afternoon.
• Kendall Coss recorded her first career goal today in just her third appearance as a Lady Flame. The freshman out of Virginia Beach, Va., also recorded her first career ground ball and her second career caused turnover.
• Ava Rajala had her first career goal, while the freshman from Excelsior, Minn., added her second career caused turnover.
• Liberty's Kate Troutman recorded both her second and third career goals.
• Merkel led the Lady Flames in shots with seven, followed by Tori Banks with five. Sixteen Lady Flames recorded a shot in the contest.
• Liberty came into the game ranked No. 7 in the country in ground balls (19.38). The Lady Flames recorded 29 on the day, with four by Banks and 14 other players recording at last one.
Up Next
• Liberty hosts two ASUN opponents next week, welcoming Kennesaw State (2-11, 1-3 ASUN) on Thursday at 1 p.m. and Lindenwood (7-7, 2-2 ASUN) on Saturday at 12 p.m. Both matches will be at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.
• The Lady Flames are undefeated when facing Kennesaw State in five matchups and have yet to face Lindenwood. Liberty last saw Kennesaw State in back-to-back matchups in 2022, with taking the first by a 16-7 score (April 30) and then defeating the Owls in the ASUN Championship semifinals 21-6 (May 5).
Main Photo at Top of Story: No. 18 Katie Colavito (left) and No. 2 Andrea Colavito (right)
