Sunday, April 6
Lynchburg, Va.
12:00 PM ET
Liberty University
8-5
12
vs
18
South Florida
10-3
1
2
3
4
F
USF
5
6
4
3
18
LIBERTY
3
3
4
2
12
Liberty Taken Down by South Florida 18-12
4/6/2025 5:03:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
LYNCHBURG, Va. – In its first home game in a month, Liberty (8-5) was taken down by South Florida (10-3) 18-12 on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulls built a commanding lead in the first half, led by five total goals from Ava Uphues (5g, 1a). USF outscored Liberty 11-6 in the first half including a 6-3 advantage in the second quarter.
The Lady Flames narrowed the lead to as little as three goals in the fourth quarter following three straight goals from Lehman. USF responded with the final three goals of the day.
Taiva Reinertson (3g, 3a) shared a game-high six points in the game. Lehman shared a game-high five goals in the losing effort.
Liberty falls to USF in the first-ever meeting between the programs. South Florida is playing in its inaugural season, playing under former Jacksonville Head Coach, Mindy McCord.
Liberty Goals: Mackenzie Lehman 5; Taiva Reinertson 3; Olivia Young 3; Katie Colavito 1
Liberty Assists: Taiva Reinertson 3; Katie Colavito 2; Cami Merkel 2; Olivia Young 1
USF Goals: Ava Uphues 5; Juliana George 2; Maggie Newton 2; Alison Harbaugh 2; Sofia Chepenik 2; Kaitlyn Tartaglione 2; Jena Binkis 2; Grace Brukiewa 1
USF Assists: Juliana George 3; Alison Harbaugh 2; Maggie Newton 2; Sofia Chepenik 1; Julia Huxtable 1; Paige Pagano 1; Ava Uphues 1
Liberty Goalkeepers: L – Rachel Hines (8-5, seven saves, 18 goals, 60:00)
USF Goalkeepers: W – Paige Pagano (10-3, three saves, 12 goals, 60:00)
Turning Point
In the second quarter, Liberty netted back-to-back from Taiva Reinertson (13:32) and Olivia Young (3:36) to narrow the deficit to 6-7. In the final three minutes of the half, the Bulls recorded four consecutive goals to push the lead to 11-6 entering the break.
USF netted two goals within the final 30 seconds of the game from Kaitlyn Tartaglione (:23) and Uphues (:03). The Bulls came out early in the third quarter with their fifth consecutive goal thanks to Alison Harbaugh (14:30). The stretch gave USF a 12-6 lead that Liberty was unable to battle back from.
First Half Summary
Second Half Summary
Lady Flames News & Notes
Up Next
Liberty (8-5, 3-0 ASUN) returns home for a pair of contests next week. The Lady Flames welcome Lindenwood (9-2, 2-1 ASUN) on Thursday at noon and take on Kennesaw State (5-9, 1-3 ASUN) on Saturday at 11 a.m. Both games from the Liberty Lacrosse Field will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Bulls built a commanding lead in the first half, led by five total goals from Ava Uphues (5g, 1a). USF outscored Liberty 11-6 in the first half including a 6-3 advantage in the second quarter.
The Lady Flames narrowed the lead to as little as three goals in the fourth quarter following three straight goals from Lehman. USF responded with the final three goals of the day.
Taiva Reinertson (3g, 3a) shared a game-high six points in the game. Lehman shared a game-high five goals in the losing effort.
Liberty falls to USF in the first-ever meeting between the programs. South Florida is playing in its inaugural season, playing under former Jacksonville Head Coach, Mindy McCord.
Liberty Goals: Mackenzie Lehman 5; Taiva Reinertson 3; Olivia Young 3; Katie Colavito 1
Liberty Assists: Taiva Reinertson 3; Katie Colavito 2; Cami Merkel 2; Olivia Young 1
USF Goals: Ava Uphues 5; Juliana George 2; Maggie Newton 2; Alison Harbaugh 2; Sofia Chepenik 2; Kaitlyn Tartaglione 2; Jena Binkis 2; Grace Brukiewa 1
USF Assists: Juliana George 3; Alison Harbaugh 2; Maggie Newton 2; Sofia Chepenik 1; Julia Huxtable 1; Paige Pagano 1; Ava Uphues 1
Liberty Goalkeepers: L – Rachel Hines (8-5, seven saves, 18 goals, 60:00)
USF Goalkeepers: W – Paige Pagano (10-3, three saves, 12 goals, 60:00)
Turning Point
In the second quarter, Liberty netted back-to-back from Taiva Reinertson (13:32) and Olivia Young (3:36) to narrow the deficit to 6-7. In the final three minutes of the half, the Bulls recorded four consecutive goals to push the lead to 11-6 entering the break.
USF netted two goals within the final 30 seconds of the game from Kaitlyn Tartaglione (:23) and Uphues (:03). The Bulls came out early in the third quarter with their fifth consecutive goal thanks to Alison Harbaugh (14:30). The stretch gave USF a 12-6 lead that Liberty was unable to battle back from.
First Half Summary
- The Bulls outshot Liberty 23-17 in the opening half.
- Liberty gained a 2-0 and a 3-2 lead in the first quarter before trailing the rest of the game.
- The teams drew an even nine draws in the first half.
- Liberty failed to clear the ball six times in the first half (9-of-15) compared to an 11-of-14 clip from USF.
Second Half Summary
- USF outscored Liberty 7-6 in the second half including the teams drawing an even four goals in the third quarter.
- Draw controls favored the Bulls 9-6 across the final 30 minutes.
- The Lady Flames turned the ball over 14 times in the second half to nine from the Bulls.
- Neither team scored back-to-back goals in the third quarter.
Lady Flames News & Notes
- The Bulls edged Liberty, the No. 1 team in the country in caused turnovers, by a 22-21 margin. Five Lady Flames recorded three caused turnovers.
- USF outshot the Lady Flames 40-31 and shots on goal 25-15.
- Three Lady Flames, Lehman, Reinertson and Young, recorded a hat trick.
- Liberty held the advantage in ground balls 29-25. Karlie Hickson led all players with six ground balls. Karlie Hickson recorded a game-high and a career-high six ground balls.
- USF outdrew Liberty 18-15 in the game. USF's Kali Cleary led all players with nine.
- The Bulls converted 4-of-6 free-position shots compared to 2-of6 from Liberty.
- Liberty turned over the ball 31 times to the Bulls 24.
- The Lady Flames fall to 4-2 at home this spring.
Up Next
Liberty (8-5, 3-0 ASUN) returns home for a pair of contests next week. The Lady Flames welcome Lindenwood (9-2, 2-1 ASUN) on Thursday at noon and take on Kennesaw State (5-9, 1-3 ASUN) on Saturday at 11 a.m. Both games from the Liberty Lacrosse Field will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Team Stats
USF
LIBERTY
Shots
40
31
Turnovers
25
31
Caused Turnovers
23
22
Draw Controls
18
15
Free-Position Shots
6
6
Ground Balls
25
30
Game Leaders
Players
G
5
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
1
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
3
A
3
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
0
G
1
A
2
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
3
Players Mentioned
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
D
/ Women's Lacrosse
GK
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's LacrosseLiberty Lacrosse: Giving Hope to a New Teammate
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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
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Coach Nangle & Mackenzie Lehman Talk About Winning The ASUN Tournament
Saturday, May 03