Tuesday, February 27
Lynchburg, Va.
4:00 PM ET
Liberty University
1-4
13
vs
16
Duke
3-3
1
2
3
4
F
Duke
5
5
4
2
16
Liberty
6
1
1
5
13
Duke Sneaks Past Liberty with a 16-13 Victory
2/27/2024 9:28:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Lady Flames late push was not enough to complete the comeback against Duke, falling 16-13 Tuesday night at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.
The Blue Devils benefitted from big games by Katie DiSimone and Caroline DeBellis with each scoring five goals. Duke pulled away with a 4-to-1 goal advantage in the third quarter.
Down 16-9 with just over eight minutes left in the game, the Lady Flames went on a big run to close the gap. Liberty netted four goals in just over four minutes to cut the deficit to 16-13. Duke held firm on defense, keeping the score still until the final buzzer.
Liberty received a big game from senior Mackenzie Lehman who grabbed a team-high four goals and six draw controls along with three caused turnovers.
Goalkeeper Taylor Gallarello made her first start of the season after starting 12 games in 2023.
The Lady Flames still seek their first win over the Blue Devils. The program is winless in four tries against Duke. Liberty falls to 1-3 at home in 2024.
Liberty Assists: Olivia Glaze 2, Cami Merkel 1
Duke Goals: Katie DeSimone 5, Caroline DeBellis 5, Maddie McCorkle 3, Katie Keller 2, Caitlin Barrett 1
Duke Assists: Olivia Carner 3, Eva Pronti 3, Carly Bernstein 2, Maddie McCorkle 2, Mattie Shearer 1
Turning Point
The Blue Devils held a 10-7 lead entering the second half. Duke's defense dominated the next 20 minutes of play, holding the Lady Flames to just two goals during the time frame. Duke led with a commanding 15-9 lead with over 10 minutes remaining in the contest.
First Half Summary
Second Half Summary
Key Stats & Notes
Up Next
Liberty takes on Pittsburgh (2-3) on next Wednesday (March 6) as Liberty looks to get back on track on at home. The Lady Flames met Pitt on the road in 2023, taking a 13-7 victory on the road.
The Blue Devils benefitted from big games by Katie DiSimone and Caroline DeBellis with each scoring five goals. Duke pulled away with a 4-to-1 goal advantage in the third quarter.
Down 16-9 with just over eight minutes left in the game, the Lady Flames went on a big run to close the gap. Liberty netted four goals in just over four minutes to cut the deficit to 16-13. Duke held firm on defense, keeping the score still until the final buzzer.
Liberty received a big game from senior Mackenzie Lehman who grabbed a team-high four goals and six draw controls along with three caused turnovers.
Goalkeeper Taylor Gallarello made her first start of the season after starting 12 games in 2023.
The Lady Flames still seek their first win over the Blue Devils. The program is winless in four tries against Duke. Liberty falls to 1-3 at home in 2024.
Liberty Goals: Mackenzie Lehman, 4, Kelly Scott 2, Katie Colavito 2, Jordan Sheive 2, Ava Rajala 2, Cami Merkel 1LIVE FROM SHEIVE! ?? pic.twitter.com/SJijUxKOWP
— Liberty Lacrosse (@LibertyWLAX) February 27, 2024
Liberty Assists: Olivia Glaze 2, Cami Merkel 1
Duke Goals: Katie DeSimone 5, Caroline DeBellis 5, Maddie McCorkle 3, Katie Keller 2, Caitlin Barrett 1
Duke Assists: Olivia Carner 3, Eva Pronti 3, Carly Bernstein 2, Maddie McCorkle 2, Mattie Shearer 1
Turning Point
The Blue Devils held a 10-7 lead entering the second half. Duke's defense dominated the next 20 minutes of play, holding the Lady Flames to just two goals during the time frame. Duke led with a commanding 15-9 lead with over 10 minutes remaining in the contest.
First Half Summary
- Duke came out firing with three consecutive goals to open the game. Liberty came back with three straight of their its own to tie the game at 7:07 of the first.
- The Lady Flames scored three of the game's next five goals, taking a 6-5 lead into the second following a goal from Kelly Scott with 2:41 left in the first.
- The Blue Devils used a four-goal run to open the second quarter, owning a 9-6 advantage with over eight minutes remaining in the half.
- Duke closed out the quarter with a 2-1 advantage to lead 10-7 going into the second half.
- The Blue Devils dominated possession in the first half with a 15-3 advantage in draw controls. Liberty was able to counter by forcing the Blue Devils to turn the ball over 12 times in the half.
Second Half Summary
- After trading scores to open the half, Duke scored four consecutive goals to grow its lead to 14-8 to end the third quarter.
- Following a Duke 2-1 advantage to open the final quarter, the Lady Flames began to push a dramatic comeback attempt. With the addition of two Lehman scores, Liberty netted four consecutive goals of its own to narrow the deficit to 16-13 with four over minutes left in the game. Neither team managed to score the rest of the contest.
- The Lady Flames flipped the script for draw controls, holding an 11-3 advantage in the second half.
- Liberty cashed in from free-position attempts, converting on three of its five attempts in the second half.
- The Lady Flames pushed hard in the second half, outshooting the Blue Devils 18-10.
Key Stats & Notes
- Liberty showed great discipline on defense, not allowing Duke a single free position attempt in the contest. In the last two games, the defense has held its opponents to just two total free-position attempts.
- The Lady Flames outshot the Blue Devils 33-27 in the contest.
- Despite the late advantage, Duke outdrew Liberty 18-14 on Tuesday.
- Three Lady Flames - Lehman, Jenna Burrow and Madeline Klunder - caused at least three turnovers.
- Sophomore Katie Colavito had another impressive performance with two goals, five draw controls, three ground balls and a caused turnover.
Up Next
Liberty takes on Pittsburgh (2-3) on next Wednesday (March 6) as Liberty looks to get back on track on at home. The Lady Flames met Pitt on the road in 2023, taking a 13-7 victory on the road.
Team Stats
DU
LIBERTY
Shots
27
33
Turnovers
19
15
Caused Turnovers
9
13
Draw Controls
17
15
Free-Position Shots
0
7
Ground Balls
15
17
Game Leaders
G
4
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
2
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
3
CT
1
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's Lacrosse
GK
/ Women's Lacrosse
M
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's LacrosseLiberty Lacrosse: Giving Hope to a New Teammate
Tuesday, June 03
Coach Nangle Talks About Preparing For The NCAA WLAX Tournament
Tuesday, May 06
Mackenzie Lehman & Katie Colavito Talk About Preparing For The NCAA WLAX Tournament
Tuesday, May 06
Coach Nangle & Mackenzie Lehman Talk About Winning The ASUN Tournament
Saturday, May 03