No. 9 Liberty to Take on Providence and Longwood

LYNCHBURG, Va. – No. 9 Liberty will return to action on Friday and Sunday, taking on Providence in BIG EAST action and in-state foe Longwood in a non-conference match.

The Lady Flames (7-1, 1-0 BIG EAST) and Friars (4-3, 0-1 BIG EAST) are set to square off on Friday afternoon. Game time is noon at the Liberty Field Hockey Field. On Sunday, Liberty will travel to Longwood (2-6). Game time is noon from Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field in Farmville, Va.

Liberty is coming off a 2-0 weekend last weekend in which it earned a pair of 2-0 victories over Old Dominion (BIG EAST opener) and William & Mary. Meanwhile, Providence fell 2-1 to Quinnipiac in its BIG EAST opener last Friday and bested Stonehill 5-0 in non-conference action to wrap up the weekend, last Sunday.

Longwood fell 3-1 to Miami (Ohio) and lost to Brown by a 2-0 score, last weekend.

Lady Flames News and Notes

Liberty is 9-0 all-time versus Providence, including an 8-0 mark since joining the BIG EAST. Last season, the Lady Flames bested the Friars 3-1 in the second-to-last regular season match in Providence, R.I.
The Lady Flames bring an 8-4 all-time mark against the Lancers into Sunday's contest. During the 2022 campaign, Liberty earned a 3-0 shutout over the Lancers in Lynchburg.
Senior goalkeeper Azul Iritxity Irigoyen received BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week recognition for the second time this year and 10th time in her career. Junior forward Tuti Dell Anna garnered inclusion on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the first time in her career.
Iritxity Irigoyen leads the nation in save percentage (.857) and is fifth in the country in goals-against-average (0.58). She also sports a 7-1 record with four shutouts and 30 saves on the year. Jodie Conolly ranks eighth nationally in assists per game (0.75).
As a team, Liberty leads the nation in save percentage (.868) and ranks fourth in the country in shutouts per game (0.50), fifth in goals-against-average (0.58) and eighth in defensive saves (3).
Fifth-year senior defender Bethany Dykema has 37 career assists. She is one assist shy of matching the program record, 38, held by Serena Barr (2013-16).
Liberty is ranked ninth in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll. This is the third consecutive week the Lady Flames have been listed among the top-10 teams in the nation.
A pair of wins this weekend would bolster the Lady Flames' record to 9-1. The spring 2021 squad is the only team in program history that has started a season by winning nine of its first 10 games.
Longwood goalkeeper Santia McLaughlin, a graduate student, played for Liberty for four seasons (2019-22).
Longwood head coach Miranda Rigg played for James Madison for five seasons (2015-19). Rigg faced Liberty four times during her playing career, with the Lady Flames winning three of those games.

Schedule

No. 9 Liberty to Take on Providence and Longwood

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jodie Conolly

Tuti Dell Anna

Bethany Dykema

Azul Iritxity Irigoyen

Santia McLaughlin