Friday, August 29
Durham, N.C.
4:00 PM ET
Liberty University
(1-0, 0-0)
4
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3
Duke
(0-1, 0-0)
1
2
3
4
F
Liberty
0
1
2
1
4
Duke
2
1
0
0
3
Combrinck's fourth quarter goal capped off a comeback 4-3 win for No. 17 Liberty at No. 5 Duke.
No. 17 Liberty Erases 3-0 Deficit For Thrilling 4-3 Road Win at No. 5 Duke
8/29/2025 7:25:00 PM | Field Hockey
DURHAM, N.C. – No. 17 Liberty erased a 3-0 deficit to No. 5 Duke on the way to a dramatic 4-3 road win in the season opener, Friday afternoon at Williams Stadium at Jack Katz Field.
Liberty senior captain Lou Combrinck scored the game winner on a penalty corner in the 56th minute to complete the comeback. The Lady Flames trimmed the deficit to 3-2 and tied it at 3-all with back-to-back highlight-reel goals from Josefina Tomasi and Zoé Gaillard in the third quarter.
The Lady Flames improve to 1-0 on the year and have won eight straight season openers dating back to the 2018 season. This is Liberty's highest-ranked victory and first top-five triumph to open a year in program history. Duke drops to 0-1. The Lady Flames have bested the Blue Devils in back-to-back years, both times by one goal.
Scoring Summary
3' – DUKE – Ashley Stockdale (Madison Beach and Julie Boehringer) | Penalty Corner
12' – DUKE – Sofia Fidalgo Schiop (unassisted) | Penalty Corner
18' – DUKE – Maggie Kondrath (unassisted)
26' – LIBERTY – Dara Semmartin (Morena Giacosa and Lou Combrinck) | Penalty Corner
32' – LIBERTY – Josefina Tomasi (unassisted)
42' – LIBERTY – Zoé Gaillard (Lou Combrinck)
56' – LIBERTY – Lou Combrinck (Dara Semmartin) | Penalty Corner
Goalkeepers
W: Diane Saint Martin 1-0, four saves
L: Kaiya Chepow 0-1, one save
Turning Point
Duke raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first 17:07 of the match, notching two penalty corner tallies in that stretch and capitalizing on a Liberty turnover in the circle. Prior to halftime, the Lady Flames got on the board with a Dara Semmartin penalty corner goal, her first of the season, at the 25:50 mark. The host Blue Devils led 3-1 at the break, scoring on three of their five shots.
Early in the third quarter (31:53 mark), Josefina Tomasi trimmed the deficit in half with a highlight-reel reverse goal into the top left corner of the cage. Later in the quarter, Julieta Tornati sent a sweep through the defense onto the stick of Lou Combrinck. Combrinck dribbled and found Gaillard in the circle, who one timed a shot past the Duke goalkeeper to knot the score at 3-3 in the 42nd minute.
Combrinck's game winner came with just 4:41 on the clock on Liberty's sixth and final penalty corner of the day. She scored from the left side following a Dara Semmartin feed, knocking the ball past Kaiya Chepow.
Key Stats & Notes
No. 17 Liberty will face in-state opponent James Madison (1-0) in its home opener, Wednesday afternoon Game time between the Lady Flames and Dukes is set for 2 p.m. from the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
Liberty senior captain Lou Combrinck scored the game winner on a penalty corner in the 56th minute to complete the comeback. The Lady Flames trimmed the deficit to 3-2 and tied it at 3-all with back-to-back highlight-reel goals from Josefina Tomasi and Zoé Gaillard in the third quarter.
The Lady Flames improve to 1-0 on the year and have won eight straight season openers dating back to the 2018 season. This is Liberty's highest-ranked victory and first top-five triumph to open a year in program history. Duke drops to 0-1. The Lady Flames have bested the Blue Devils in back-to-back years, both times by one goal.
Scoring Summary
3' – DUKE – Ashley Stockdale (Madison Beach and Julie Boehringer) | Penalty Corner
12' – DUKE – Sofia Fidalgo Schiop (unassisted) | Penalty Corner
18' – DUKE – Maggie Kondrath (unassisted)
26' – LIBERTY – Dara Semmartin (Morena Giacosa and Lou Combrinck) | Penalty Corner
32' – LIBERTY – Josefina Tomasi (unassisted)
42' – LIBERTY – Zoé Gaillard (Lou Combrinck)
56' – LIBERTY – Lou Combrinck (Dara Semmartin) | Penalty Corner
Goalkeepers
W: Diane Saint Martin 1-0, four saves
L: Kaiya Chepow 0-1, one save
Turning Point
Duke raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first 17:07 of the match, notching two penalty corner tallies in that stretch and capitalizing on a Liberty turnover in the circle. Prior to halftime, the Lady Flames got on the board with a Dara Semmartin penalty corner goal, her first of the season, at the 25:50 mark. The host Blue Devils led 3-1 at the break, scoring on three of their five shots.
Early in the third quarter (31:53 mark), Josefina Tomasi trimmed the deficit in half with a highlight-reel reverse goal into the top left corner of the cage. Later in the quarter, Julieta Tornati sent a sweep through the defense onto the stick of Lou Combrinck. Combrinck dribbled and found Gaillard in the circle, who one timed a shot past the Duke goalkeeper to knot the score at 3-3 in the 42nd minute.
Combrinck's game winner came with just 4:41 on the clock on Liberty's sixth and final penalty corner of the day. She scored from the left side following a Dara Semmartin feed, knocking the ball past Kaiya Chepow.
Key Stats & Notes
- This is the second straight year Lou Combrinck has scored a fourth quarter game-winning goal against Duke.
- This is the sixth top-five win in program history for Liberty and the second straight year the Lady Flames have topped the Blue Devils when they were a top-five squad.
- Morena Giacosa, Mia Santana, Julieta Tornati, Zoé Gaillard, Maite Altamirano and Diane Saint Martin all started in their first career games in a Liberty uniform. In addition, Luna Prieri, Caroline Richard and Autumn Albright made their Lady Flames debuts.
- Saint Martin picked up the win in goal in her collegiate debut. The freshman made four saves, three of which came in the second half.
- Both teams attempted nine shots. Duke held a 7-6 edge in penalty corners.
- This is Liberty's highest-ranked victory in a season opener in program history. The previous best ranked win in an opener for the Lady Flames was a 6-1 triumph over No. 17 James Madison in 2018.
- Liberty improves to 11-4 all-time in season openers.
- The Lady Flames are 4-7 all-time against the Blue Devils. Nine of the 11 meetings between the two teams have been decided by one goal.
No. 17 Liberty will face in-state opponent James Madison (1-0) in its home opener, Wednesday afternoon Game time between the Lady Flames and Dukes is set for 2 p.m. from the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
Team Stats
LIBERTY
DUKE
Goals
4
3
Shots
9
9
Shots on Goal
5
7
Saves
4
1
Corners
6
7
Offsides
0
0
Fouls
0
0
Scoring Plays
Ashley Stockdale (1)
Assisted By: Madison Beach , Julia Boehringer
GOAL by Duke Ashley Stockdale (FIRST GOAL), Assist by Madison Beach and Julia Boehringer, goal number 1 for season.
2:44
Sofia Fidalgo schiop (1)
GOAL by Duke Sofia Fidalgo schiop, goal number 1 for season.
11:15
Maggie Kondrath (1)
GOAL by Duke Maggie Kondrath, goal number 1 for season.
17:07
Dara Semmartin
Assisted By: Morena Giacosa , Lou Combrinck
GOAL by Liberty Dara Semmartin, Assist by Morena Giacosa and Lou Combrinck
25:50
Josefina Tomasi (1)
GOAL by Liberty Josefina Tomasi, goal number 1 for season.
31:53
Zoe Gaillard (1)
Assisted By: Lou Combrinck
GOAL by Liberty Zoe Gaillard, Assist by Lou Combrinck, goal number 1 for season.
41:18
Lou Combrinck
Assisted By: Dara Semmartin
GOAL by Liberty Lou Combrinck, Assist by Dara Semmartin
55:19
Game Leaders
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
2
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
1
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
D
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M
/ Field HockeyM
/ Field Hockey
D
/ Field Hockey
F
/ Field Hockey
M
/ Field Hockey
GK
/ Field Hockey
M
/ Field HockeyD
/ Field HockeyF
/ Field Hockey
D
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