Liberty Rolls Past Longwood 3-1

LYNCHBURG, VA. – Returning to the pitch for the first time since Sept. 3, the Liberty Flames defeated the Longwood Lancers 3-1 Tuesday evening in a non-conference match at Osborne Stadium.

Michael Huss and Luke Eberle each scored their team-leading third goals of the season, while Bryce Swinehart scored his second goal for the Flames in the victory.

Liberty goalkeeper Blake Franzen made a career-high seven saves in the contest.

The Flames move to 4-1 on the year and drop the Lancers from the ranks of the unbeaten with the victory. Longwood falls to 3-1-1.

Scoring Summary
28' – LIBERTY – Michael Huss (Assisted by Skyler Stricker and Leo Conneh)
38' – LIBERTY – Bryce Swinehart (Assisted by Matthew Torrell)
48' – LONGWOOD – Mason Butcher (Assisted by James Bogler and Emilo Segovia)
65' – LIBERTY – Luke Eberle (Penalty kick)

Turning Point
Leading 2-1 during the 65^th minute, Liberty freshman forward Leo Conneh received a pass in open space on the left sideline and made a run towards the top corner of the box. Gaining the box, the forward was pulled down, resulting in a penalty kick.
Eberle buried the kick to give the Flames a 3-1 lead. Liberty then went on to shut down the Longwood attack, not allowing a shot attempt the rest of the way to close out the victory.

Key Stats & Notes

Liberty outshot Longwood, 12-10, in the contest. The Lancers held the edge in corner kicks, 5-2.
With his third goal of the season, Eberle now leads the Flames in points with seven. Eberle also leads the Ohio Valley Conference in points, averaging 1.40 per game.
Huss and Eberle are tied with two others for the OVC lead in goals with three.
Swinehart nets a goal in back-to-back games. The sophomore defender scored the game-winner in Liberty's 2-1 victory over Navy on Sept. 3 and tonight gave the Flames a 2-0 lead with a laser strike from 25 yards out last in the first half.
Franzen recorded seven saves over the 90 minutes of play for Liberty, setting a new single-game career-high. The junior goalkeeper previously made six saves in a game twice during his career (at FGCU, 9/23/22 and Stetson, 9/28/22).
Conneh collected his fourth assist of 2023. The freshman leads Liberty and the OVC in helpers.
Torrell records his first collegiate point in the contest by assisting on Swinehart's goal late in the first.
Liberty moves to 4-1 for the first time since starting the 2021 Spring season 5-0-1.
The Flames have outscored their opponents, 11-8, on the year. Liberty leads the OVC in goals.

Next Up
Liberty will finish out the week by welcoming the USC Upstate Spartans to Osborne Stadium for a match on Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Schedule

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Team Stats

Michael Huss

Bryce Swinehart

Luke Eberle

Leo Conneh

Players Mentioned

Leo Conneh

Luke Eberle

Blake Franzen

Michael Huss

Skyler Stricker

Bryce Swinehart

Matthew Torrell