No. 12 Lady Flames to Face Tribe, No. 4 Blue Devils Over Weekend

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The No. 12-ranked Liberty field hockey team will play a pair of home games this weekend, taking on William & Mary and No. 4 Duke.

Friday's matchup against the William & Mary Tribe (0-4) is set for a 3 p.m. start. On Sunday, the Lady Flames will host the Duke Blue Devils (3-1) at 1 p.m. Both games will be contested at the Liberty Field Hockey Field, and Sunday's match will be carried live on ESPN+.

Liberty is 2-1 on the young season and looking to bounce back from a narrow 2-1 setback to No. 3 Virginia, last Sunday in its home opener. Meanwhile, William & Mary is seeking its first victory of 2024. No. 4 Duke will face No. 18 Old Dominion on Friday evening prior to heading to Lynchburg.

Lady Flames News and Notes

This will be the sixth all-time meeting between Liberty and William & Mary. The Lady Flames own the 3-2 series edge. In 2023, the Lady Flames topped the Tribe 2-0 at Busch Field in Williamsburg, Va. Liberty scored both of its goals in the final two minutes of the game for the victory. Jodie Conolly and Tuti Dell Anna provided the goals.
Liberty and Duke will be squaring off for the 10th time. The two teams have met in nine of the last 10 seasons. In those nine meetings, six have gone to overtime, including last year's 2-1 Blue Devils home win over the Lady Flames (Sept. 10, 2023). Liberty is 1-5 all-time against Duke in overtime. The Blue Devils hold a 7-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Lady Flames have won two of the last four meetings overall.
Lady Flames freshman Josefina Tomasi garnered inclusion on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, Tuesday. Tomasi scored her first collegiate goal in last Sunday's home opener against No. 3-ranked Virginia. Last week, Liberty's Martu Cian and Ella Murphy were recognized on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Cian currently ranks 12th nationally in goals per game (1.00) and 20th in the country in points per game (2.00).
This is the second top-five opponent the Lady Flames will face already this season. Liberty fell 2-1 to No. 3 Virginia this past Sunday. Next weekend, the Lady Flames will face No. 18 Old Dominion (Sept. 20, road) and No. 2 North Carolina (Sept. 22, home).
No. 12 Liberty is one of three top-20 teams from the BIG EAST Conference. Connecticut (4-0) is ranked 16th, and Old Dominion (4-0) is currently listed at No. 18 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. The Lady Flames were ranked 11th in the preseason poll.
Lady Flames redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Michaela Skinner boasts a 2-1 record, 1.23 goals-against-average and nine saves through three games. Skinner has made four saves on two occasions.

Schedule

No. 12 Lady Flames to Face Tribe, No. 4 Blue Devils Over Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Martu Cian

Jodie Conolly

Tuti Dell Anna

Ella Murphy

Michaela Skinner

Josefina Tomasi