No. 9 Liberty Set to Take on Temple in Road BIG EAST Match, Friday

LYNCHBURG, Va. – No. 9-ranked Liberty is set to take on Temple in a BIG EAST road match, Friday afternoon.

Liberty brings a 9-1 record and 2-0 mark in BIG EAST play into the game. Liberty's 9-1 start is tied for its best 10-game start in program history. The spring 2021 squad also started the year by winning nine of its first 10 contests. The Lady Flames are one of two unbeaten teams in BIG EAST play, along with Villanova (5-4, 2-0 BIG EAST).

The Lady Flames have won four straight games overall. Last weekend, Liberty topped Providence 5-2 in a conference game and bested Longwood 7-1 in a non-conference contest.

Temple is 6-3 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Owls fell 1-0 at Old Dominion, last Friday.

Lady Flames News and Notes

The Lady Flames are 12-1 all-time versus the Owls, including an 11-0 mark since joining the BIG EAST. Last season, Liberty edged Temple 1-0 in Lynchburg.
Liberty's last trip to Temple (Oct. 15, 2021) resulted in a 6-1 win at Howarth Field. That same season, the Lady Flames bested the Owls 4-2 in the 2021 BIG EAST Championship semifinal round in Storrs, Conn.
A win over Temple would give the Lady Flames' their best 11-game start in school history.
Redshirt freshman midfielder Kyleigh Faust was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the first time, Tuesday. Faust tallied one goal, one assist and three points in last weekend's pair of wins. Additionally, junior forward Tuti Dell Anna was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for a second straight week. Dell Anna scored two goals and added an assist for five points, last weekend.
Dell Anna has scored a goal in four straight games. Forward Milagros Arteta leads the team in goals (5) and points (12).
Liberty is ranked No. 7 in the first NCAA Field Hockey RPI listing of the 2023 season. The Lady Flames are also ninth in the country in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll, the fourth straight week they have been listed among the top-10 teams in the nation.
Goalkeeper Azul Iritxity Irigoyen is No. 8 in the nation in goals-against-average (0.75) and No. 11 in save percentage (.789). She leads the BIG EAST in both categories. Defender Jodie Conolly ranks seventh in the country and second in the conference in assists per game (0.70).
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).

Schedule

No. 9 Liberty Set to Take on Temple in Road BIG EAST Match, Friday

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Players Mentioned

Milagros Arteta

Jodie Conolly

Tuti Dell Anna

Bethany Dykema

Kyleigh Faust

Azul Iritxity Irigoyen