No. 11 Liberty Set For Home Opener Against No. 3 Virginia, Sunday

LYNCHBURG, Va. – No. 11 Liberty is set for its 2024 home opener against No. 3 Virginia, Sunday afternoon. Match time is 1 p.m. at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.

This will be the third straight season the Lady Flames and Cavaliers will meet. Last year (Aug. 29, 2023), Liberty earned a 3-1 road win over sixth-ranked UVA, its first-ever road win against the Cavaliers.

Liberty opened the 2024 season with a pair of wins last weekend. The Lady Flames knocked off Indiana 2-1 in double OT, followed by a 4-1 road triumph over Kent State. Both games were played at Murphy-Mellis Field in Kent, Ohio.

Meanwhile, Virginia knocked off No. 16 Penn State 2-1 in its first game and will host Temple (2-0) on Friday evening in Charlottesville prior to traveling to Lynchburg for Sunday afternoon's contest.

Lady Flames News and Notes

Seven of the eight all-time meetings between Liberty and Virginia have been decided by exactly one goal. The Lady Flames are 2-6 all-time versus the Cavaliers but have taken two of the last four meetings dating back to the 2018 season.
Liberty is 6-7 all-time in home openers but has won three of its last five home openers. Last year, the Lady Flames knocked off Kent State 2-0 in their first home contest.
This is the second time in program history Liberty will face a top-five opponent in its home opener. During the fall 2021 season, the Lady Flames faced No. 5 Northwestern in its first home match (4-3 loss). Liberty and Northwestern squared off again at the end of that season in the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship title game.
Liberty's Martu Cian and Ella Murphy both garnered inclusion on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for their performances in last weekend's two victories. Cian tallied three goals in the win over Kent State, while Murphy scored the game-winning goal in double overtime versus Indiana.
Cian and Murphy were both named to the 2024 NFHCA Watchlist on Aug. 29, along with fifth-year senior midfielder Reagan Underwood. The NFHCA Watchlist represents top collegiate student-athletes who are early contenders for this year's NFHCA All-Region and All-American teams, as nominated by their member coach.
Lady Flames freshman defender Dara Semmartin leads the team in assists in the early going with two. The Buenos Aires, Argentina native had one assist in each game last weekend in what was her first collegiate action.
This is the sixth straight season Liberty has opened the year with a 2-0 record.
Liberty's last win over a top-five team came last season (Oct. 8, 2023) at No. 1 North Carolina. Cian scored the game winner in double overtime of a 2-1 win over the Tar Heels. UNC went on to win the 2023 NCAA title.
Liberty has been picked to finish first in the conference in the 2024 BIG EAST Field Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll. This is the third straight year the Lady Flames have been picked to win the league.
Liberty received four of the eight available first-place votes and 46 points in the poll. Defending BIG EAST champion Old Dominion was selected to finish second in the league, receiving two first-place votes and 43 points. Connecticut is tied for third in the poll with two first-place votes and 33 points. Temple is the other squad tied for third with 33 points. Rounding out the poll are Villanova (fifth, 26 points), Providence (sixth, 22 points), Quinnipiac (seventh, 14 points) and Georgetown (eighth, seven points).
The Lady Flames (17-3, 7-0 BIG EAST in 2023) have won two of the last three BIG EAST championship titles and three straight BIG EAST regular season crowns.

Schedule

No. 11 Liberty Set For Home Opener Against No. 3 Virginia, Sunday

Players Mentioned

Martu Cian

Ella Murphy

Dara Semmartin

Reagan Underwood