Friday, September 26
Lynchburg, Va.
6:00 PM ET
Liberty University
(6-1, 2-0BIG EAST)
1
vs
0
Connecticut
(3-5, 1-1BIG EAST)
1
2
3
4
F
UConn
0
0
0
0
0
Liberty
0
0
0
1
1
Semmartin, Saint Martin Lift No. 5 Liberty to 1-0 Victory Over UConn
9/26/2025 8:49:00 PM | Field Hockey
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty's Dara Semmartin scored the only goal of the night in the fourth quarter, and goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin made four crucial saves in the final period to lift the No. 5 Lady Flames to a 1-0 shutout victory over the visiting UConn Huskies, Friday night at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
Liberty moves to 6-1 overall on the year and 2-0 in the BIG EAST following its third shutout of the year in its conference home opener. Meanwhile, preseason BIG EAST favorite UConn drops to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in the BIG EAST after its second straight loss.
Semmartin's game winner in the 54th minute was her third goal of the season. Diane Saint Martin (6-1) made five stops in the game in recording her third career shutout and third in the last four matches.
The Lady Flames improve to 9-1 all-time in BIG EAST openers and run their 2025 home record to 4-0. Liberty has won eight straight home contests dating back to the 2024 campaign.
Scoring Summary
54' – LIBERTY – Dara Semmartin (Maite Altamirano and Lou Combrinck) | Penalty Corner
Goalkeepers
W: Diane Saint Martin 6-1, five saves
L: Natalie McKenna 3-5, one save
Turning Point
After a tightly-contested first 45 minutes which featured only five total shots (three Liberty, two UConn), the action picked up in the fourth quarter. Liberty goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin made all four of her saves in a 25-second span in the 52nd minute, first fending off a shot from Olivia Donahue, followed by a pair of shots from Lene Bujes. Just 19 seconds later (51:34 mark), Saint Martin made a sprawling save on an Olivia McKenna blast to keep the game knotted 0-0.
Liberty earned its only penalty corner of the night in the 54th minute and took advantage. Following a Lou Combrinck insert and Morena Giacosa stick stop, Dara Semmartin sent a shot into the right side of the cage at the 53:35 mark for what turned out to be her first career game-winning goal.
The Huskies pulled goalkeeper Natalie McKenna at the 3:38 mark and then began playing two players up following a yellow card from the Lady Flames' Julieta Tornati with 3:09 to play in regulation. The Liberty defense fended off back-to-back UConn penalty corners in the 58th minute. The Lady Flames regained possession in the closing minute-and-a-half and ran out the clock to preserve the one-goal win.
Key Stats & Notes
Liberty will play a road game on Sunday afternoon at William & Mary (1-6). Game time is noon from Busch Field in Williamsburg, Va.
Liberty and Wiliam & Mary will match up for the fifth straight season and seventh time ever. The Lady Flames hold a 4-2 edge in the series and have won two straight. Last year, Liberty shut out William & Mary 5-0 in Lynchburg.
Liberty moves to 6-1 overall on the year and 2-0 in the BIG EAST following its third shutout of the year in its conference home opener. Meanwhile, preseason BIG EAST favorite UConn drops to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in the BIG EAST after its second straight loss.
Semmartin's game winner in the 54th minute was her third goal of the season. Diane Saint Martin (6-1) made five stops in the game in recording her third career shutout and third in the last four matches.
The Lady Flames improve to 9-1 all-time in BIG EAST openers and run their 2025 home record to 4-0. Liberty has won eight straight home contests dating back to the 2024 campaign.
Scoring Summary
54' – LIBERTY – Dara Semmartin (Maite Altamirano and Lou Combrinck) | Penalty Corner
54' | ????????! FLAMES TAKE THE LEAD ??
— Liberty Field Hockey (@LibertyFH) September 26, 2025
Dara Semmartin with the late goal to put us in front!#EyesFixed #RiseWithUs
?? @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/RFRDgqb82Z
Goalkeepers
W: Diane Saint Martin 6-1, five saves
L: Natalie McKenna 3-5, one save
52' | BRICK WALL ??
— Liberty Field Hockey (@LibertyFH) September 26, 2025
Diane Saint Martin with a flurry of saves!#EyesFixed #RiseWithUs
?? @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/riqUyYVmtc
Turning Point
After a tightly-contested first 45 minutes which featured only five total shots (three Liberty, two UConn), the action picked up in the fourth quarter. Liberty goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin made all four of her saves in a 25-second span in the 52nd minute, first fending off a shot from Olivia Donahue, followed by a pair of shots from Lene Bujes. Just 19 seconds later (51:34 mark), Saint Martin made a sprawling save on an Olivia McKenna blast to keep the game knotted 0-0.
Liberty earned its only penalty corner of the night in the 54th minute and took advantage. Following a Lou Combrinck insert and Morena Giacosa stick stop, Dara Semmartin sent a shot into the right side of the cage at the 53:35 mark for what turned out to be her first career game-winning goal.
The Huskies pulled goalkeeper Natalie McKenna at the 3:38 mark and then began playing two players up following a yellow card from the Lady Flames' Julieta Tornati with 3:09 to play in regulation. The Liberty defense fended off back-to-back UConn penalty corners in the 58th minute. The Lady Flames regained possession in the closing minute-and-a-half and ran out the clock to preserve the one-goal win.
Key Stats & Notes
- Dara Semmartin shares the team lead with three goals. Lou Combrinck's assist on Semmartin's goal was her team-best seventh of the season. Altamirano, who also assisted on the lone goal of the night, has two assists this year.
- Diane Saint Martin notched a five-save shutout, her most saves in a clean sheet this year. Over her last four games, she is 3-1 with a 0.50 goals-against-average, 15 saves, a .882 save percentage and three shutouts.
- In a game of limited offensive opportunities, UConn outshot Liberty 7-4 and held a 4-1 edge in penalty corners.
- Liberty picks up its seventh all-time win over UConn and its third straight over the Huskies at the Liberty Field Hockey Field. The Lady Flames are 7-2 versus the Huskies in the last nine matchups. Connecticut holds a 10-7 overall series edge.
- Liberty (2-0 BIG EAST) shares first place in the BIG EAST standings with Old Dominion (2-0 BIG EAST). The two teams will meet a week from today in Lynchburg.
- Liberty improves to 3-0 this year in one-goal games. The Lady Flames' other one goal wins were against No. 5 Duke (4-3, Aug. 29) and UAlbany (1-0, Sept. 12). This is the third straight matchup between the two teams that was decided by exactly one goal.
Liberty will play a road game on Sunday afternoon at William & Mary (1-6). Game time is noon from Busch Field in Williamsburg, Va.
Liberty and Wiliam & Mary will match up for the fifth straight season and seventh time ever. The Lady Flames hold a 4-2 edge in the series and have won two straight. Last year, Liberty shut out William & Mary 5-0 in Lynchburg.
Team Stats
UCONN
LIBERTY
Goals
0
1
Shots
7
4
Shots on Goal
5
2
Saves
1
5
Corners
4
1
Offsides
0
0
Fouls
0
0
Scoring Plays
Dara Semmartin (3)
Assisted By: Morena Giacosa , Lou Combrinck
Scored on corner into right side
53:35
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Field HockeyM
/ Field HockeyD
/ Field Hockey
GK
/ Field HockeyD
/ Field Hockey
D
/ Field HockeyLiberty Field Hockey Defeats Richmond
Monday, September 08
Liberty Defeats JMU 4-1
Thursday, September 04
Josefina Tomasi & Coach Parsley-Blocker Talk About The Win Over JMU
Wednesday, September 03
Coach Parsley-Blocker & Lou Combrinck Talk About Preparing For The Start Of The Season
Wednesday, August 27