Liberty to Face OVC Road Tests at Eastern and Western Illinois

LYNCHBURG, VA. – The Liberty Flames men's soccer team travels to Illinois this week for Ohio Valley Conference matches against the Eastern Illinois Panthers and the Western Illinois Leathernecks.

Liberty will square off with Eastern Illinois on Thursday in Charleston, Ill. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT at Lakeside Field. Head Coach Kelly Findley's team will then venture to Macomb, Ill., for a Sunday afternoon match with Western Illinois. Match time is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT at John MacKenzie Alumni Field.

After handing Lindenwood its first loss of the season with a 1-0 victory in an OVC match at home on Sunday, Liberty begins the week tied for first place in the conference standings with Lindenwood and Houston Christian, with 3-1-1 OVC records and 10 points. The Flames are 7-3-3 overall.

Thursday's opponent, Eastern Illinois, enters the week with a 1-3-1 OVC mark and a 2-7-2 record overall. Eastern Illinois won its first OVC match of the season on Sunday, defeating Incarnate Word on the road.

Meanwhile, Western Illinois, Sunday's opponent, begins the week with a 1-2-2 conference record and a 3-9-2 overall record. The Leathernecks will host Southern Indiana on Thursday.

Liberty is 2-0-1 all-time against Eastern Illinois. The Flames defeated the Panthers 2-0 last season at Osborne Stadium. Meanwhile, Liberty is 1-1 all-time against Western Illinois. The two teams met for the first time last season. The Flames won in Lynchburg 7-1, while the Leathernecks won in Macomb 1-0.

Liberty News & Notes

Liberty will play four of its last five regular-season games on the road. All of the Flames' remaining games are OVC contests. Liberty is 1-1-2 on the road this season.
With their win on Sunday, the Flames are now 6-2-1 at Osborne Stadium. Liberty has one home game remaining in the regular season. The Flames will welcome SIUE to Osborne Stadium on Oct. 25.
The Flames have outscored their opponents, 30-18, this season. Liberty is tied with Lindenwood for the OVC lead and is fifth nationally with 30 goals.
Liberty is first in the OVC and 16^th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 2.31 goals per game.
Ten Flames have scored at least one goal this season and five have scored at least three or more goals.
Zach Lifferth leads the Flames and is tied with Ryan Okerayi of HCU for the OVC lead with seven goals. In addition, the senior leads Liberty and the OVC with 16 points (7 goals, 2 assists).
Leo Conneh scored the lone goal of the game in Liberty's 1-0 victory over Lindenwood on Sunday. The forward has scored a career-high four goals and has two assists for 10 points on the year.
Sam Farner and Lucas Kelly are tied with Conneh for second on the Flames with four goals. Farner has four assists and has 12 points on the season. The senior enters the week tied for sixth in the OVC in points.
With a strong run from the midfield, Ben Carman drew an assist as he found Conneh for Liberty's goal in its 1-0 victory over Lindenwood on Sunday. It was his first assist of the season. The forward has scored two goals and an assist for five points this season.
Defender Perry Blay leads the Flames with six assists. Blay is second in the OVC in assists.
Tyler Beck has played every minute in goal this season for the Flames. The sophomore has posted his fourth shutout of the year in Sunday's 1-0 victory over Lindenwood. He made four saves in recording the shutout. Beck has a 1.38 goals-against average and a .679 save percentage in 2025.
Head coach Kelly Findley is in his seventh and final season at Liberty. Findley has announced his retirement from college coaching at the end of the season.

Schedule

Liberty to Face OVC Road Tests at Eastern and Western Illinois

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Beck

Perry Blay

Ben Carman

Leo Conneh

Sam Farner

Lucas Kelly

Zach Lifferth