Liberty, UVA to Meet in Top-10 Showdown on Tuesday Evening

LYNCHBURG, Va. – No. 7-ranked Liberty and No. 2 Virginia will meet in a top-10 showdown on Tuesday evening. The clash of Commonwealth foes will begin at 5 p.m. at Turf Field in Charlottesville, Va.

Liberty heads into Tuesday's non-conference matchup with UVA riding a six-game winning streak. The Lady Flames are 10-1 on the year and have six total shutouts, tied for third most in the nation. Liberty ranks No. 2 in the country and first in the BIG EAST in shutouts per game (0.55). The Lady Flames bested Georgetown 1-0 last Friday to stay unbeaten in the BIG EAST Conference at 4-0. Meanwhile, the Virginia Cavaliers (9-1) suffered their first setback of the season on Friday night, falling 1-0 at home to No. 3 North Carolina.

Tuesday's game will begin a stretch of three games in six days for the Lady Flames. Liberty will host Providence (Friday) and Saint Joseph's (Sunday) over the weekend.

Lady Flames News and Notes

Liberty's last regular season trip to Charlottesville resulted in a 3-1 triumph over Virginia on Aug. 29, 2023. That victory was the Lady Flames' first on the road at UVA. Liberty and Virginia met at Turf Field this preseason on Aug. 16.
The Lady Flames are seeking their third top-20 win of the season. Liberty is 2-1 against ranked competition in 2025. The Lady Flames bested No. 5 Duke 4-3 in the season opener and knocked off No. 17 App State 7-1, with both victories coming on the road. Liberty's lone ranked loss of the year was a 3-1 setback at No. 2 North Carolina.
The Cavaliers lead the all-time series with Liberty 7-2. Last year, Virginia topped Liberty 2-1 in Lynchburg. Eight of the nine all-time contests between the two squads have been decided by exactly one goal.
Senior Lou Combrinck is tied for seventh in the nation with 10 total assists on the year. The midfielder notched her 10th assist of the year in the win at Georgetown. Combrinck, a native of Hillcrest, South Africa, also ranks seventh in the country and first in the BIG EAST in assists per game (0.91).
Sophomore Dara Semmartin is No. 13 nationally and No. 2 in the BIG EAST in assists per game (0.73). Combrinck (No. 27 in country, 1.82) and Semmartin (No. 38 in country, 1.64) rank first and second in the conference in points per game.
Liberty freshman goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin ranks fifth in the country and first in the BIG EAST in goals-against-average (0.82). The Paris, France native sports a 10-1 record and has six shutouts on the year, two shy of tying a program record. The program record for single-season shutouts by a goalkeeper is eight, set by Azul Iritxity Irigoyen during the 2022 season.
The Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll will come out on Tuesday morning prior to the matchup between the two squads. Liberty has been ranked inside the top 10 in each of the last five national polls. Virginia is the fourth ranked opponent for the Lady Flames this season. Liberty is 2-1 versus ranked foes in 2025, with its highest ranked win coming over No. 5 Duke (4-3 final) in the season opener.
Liberty is currently No. 5 in the NCAA Field Hockey RPI listing.
Liberty's two highest ranked wins in program history both came over No. 1 teams. The Lady Flames bested No. 1 UNC 2-1 in double overtime two seasons ago (Oct. 8, 2023) and knocked off No. 1 Rutgers 3-2 (4-2 in shootout) in the 2021 NCAA Field Hockey Championship Elite Eight (Nov. 14, 2021).
The Lady Flames are 4-0 against teams from the state of Virginia this year. Liberty has topped Old Dominion, William & Mary, James Madison and Richmond already so far.

Schedule

Liberty, UVA to Meet in Top-10 Showdown on Tuesday Evening

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Players Mentioned

Lou Combrinck

Diane Saint Martin

Dara Semmartin