Sunday, October 11
Lynchburg, Va.
1:00 PM ET
Liberty University
(9-4)
2
vs
1
North Carolina
(7-5)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Liberty | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
No. 17 Liberty Bests No. 9 North Carolina 2-1, Sunday
10/11/2026 4:38:00 PM | Field Hockey
LYNCHBURG, Va. – No. 17 Liberty earned its first top-10 win of the 2026 campaign, besting No. 9 North Carolina 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
Liberty earns its first-ever victory over UNC at home and third victory in the all-time series. The Lady Flames improve to 9-4 on the year and have won four straight matches. The Tar Heels drop to 7-5 and see their four-contest winning streak halted.
Josefina Tomasi and Liz Bustillo scored first half goals for the home side.
.
Scoring Summary
16' – LIBERTY – Josefina Tomasi (Pia Iapichino)
22' – LIBERTY – Liz Bustillo (Mia Santana)
53' – NORTH CAROLINA – Charly Bruder (Reese Anetsberger & Dani Mendez) | Penalty Corner
Goalkeepers
W: Diane Saint Martin 9-4, zero saves
L: Merritt Skubisz 7-4, three saves
Turning Point
Liberty struck first 51 seconds into the second quarter, with Josefina Tomasi finding the back of the cage. Paris-Gail Isaacs sent a pass ahead in transition to a lunging Pia Iapichino, whose pass split a pair of North Carolina defenders. Tomasi batted a shot past converging UNC goalkeeper Merritt Skubisz into the cage.
The Lady Flames' second goal came courtesy of Liz Bustillo, her first career tally. Dara Semmartin sent a ball into the circle that found sophomore Mia Santana. Santana spun, drove to her right and sent a perfect crossing pass to Bustillo, who one-timed a shot into the middle of the cage for a 2-0 lead at the 21:56 mark.
Liberty led 2-0 at the break and held edge in shots (6-1) and penalty corners (3-1). The Tar Heels trailed 2-0 early in the fourth quarter when UNC's Ryleigh Heck drove the left baseline and flipped a shot over the head of goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin. Liberty defender Kyleigh Faust batted the ball out of the air for a defensive save. UNC elected to pull its goalkeeper for an extra field player with 10:44 left on the clock and the Lady Flames' Avery Pollock serving a five-minute yellow card penalty. UNC broke through for its first goal of the day, with Charly Bruder finding the net on a penalty corner in the 53rd minute, assisted by Reese Anetsberger and Dani Mendez. The Tar Heels earned one more penalty corner in the waning stages, coming in the 57th minute, but had a pair of shots blocked by Lady Flames defenders.
Key Stats & Notes
Up Next
Liberty's next game will be on the road Friday at BIG EAST opponent Providence (9-4, 2-1 BIG EAST). The match will commence at 2 p.m. at Lennon Family Field in Providence, R.I.
The Lady Flames are 12-0 all-time versus the Friars. In 2025, Liberty shut out Providence 2-0 in Lynchburg.
Liberty earns its first-ever victory over UNC at home and third victory in the all-time series. The Lady Flames improve to 9-4 on the year and have won four straight matches. The Tar Heels drop to 7-5 and see their four-contest winning streak halted.
Josefina Tomasi and Liz Bustillo scored first half goals for the home side.
.
Scoring Summary
16' – LIBERTY – Josefina Tomasi (Pia Iapichino)
22' – LIBERTY – Liz Bustillo (Mia Santana)
53' – NORTH CAROLINA – Charly Bruder (Reese Anetsberger & Dani Mendez) | Penalty Corner
Goalkeepers
W: Diane Saint Martin 9-4, zero saves
L: Merritt Skubisz 7-4, three saves
Turning Point
Liberty struck first 51 seconds into the second quarter, with Josefina Tomasi finding the back of the cage. Paris-Gail Isaacs sent a pass ahead in transition to a lunging Pia Iapichino, whose pass split a pair of North Carolina defenders. Tomasi batted a shot past converging UNC goalkeeper Merritt Skubisz into the cage.
The Lady Flames' second goal came courtesy of Liz Bustillo, her first career tally. Dara Semmartin sent a ball into the circle that found sophomore Mia Santana. Santana spun, drove to her right and sent a perfect crossing pass to Bustillo, who one-timed a shot into the middle of the cage for a 2-0 lead at the 21:56 mark.
Liberty led 2-0 at the break and held edge in shots (6-1) and penalty corners (3-1). The Tar Heels trailed 2-0 early in the fourth quarter when UNC's Ryleigh Heck drove the left baseline and flipped a shot over the head of goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin. Liberty defender Kyleigh Faust batted the ball out of the air for a defensive save. UNC elected to pull its goalkeeper for an extra field player with 10:44 left on the clock and the Lady Flames' Avery Pollock serving a five-minute yellow card penalty. UNC broke through for its first goal of the day, with Charly Bruder finding the net on a penalty corner in the 53rd minute, assisted by Reese Anetsberger and Dani Mendez. The Tar Heels earned one more penalty corner in the waning stages, coming in the 57th minute, but had a pair of shots blocked by Lady Flames defenders.
Key Stats & Notes
- This is Liberty's first triumph over North Carolina in Lynchburg in what was the sixth meeting between the two squads in the Hill City.
- Josefina Tomasi ranks second on the team with seven goals this year. She is also No. 2 on the squad in points with 17.
- Liz Bustillo's goal was the first of her career in what was her 11th career appearance.
- Kyleigh Faust's defensive save was her third of the 2026 campaign.
- Liberty outshot UNC 10-8, including a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal, and held an 8-4 edge in penalty corners. The Lady Flames held the Tar Heels to only two shots through the first three quarters of action.
- The Tar Heels entered the day riding a four-game winning streak and averaging 5.75 goals per game during that stretch.
- In all three of Liberty's all-time victories over UNC, the Lady Flames have allowed one goal or less.
- This is Liberty's first ranked win of 2026 (entered day 0-3 vs. top-20 foes) and first top-10 triumph since defeating No. 5 Duke on the road in last year's season opener (Aug. 29, 2025).
- Today's matchup was the 13th all-time matchup between the two teams.
Up Next
Liberty's next game will be on the road Friday at BIG EAST opponent Providence (9-4, 2-1 BIG EAST). The match will commence at 2 p.m. at Lennon Family Field in Providence, R.I.
The Lady Flames are 12-0 all-time versus the Friars. In 2025, Liberty shut out Providence 2-0 in Lynchburg.
Players Mentioned
M/F
/ Field Hockey
D/M
/ Field Hockey
F
/ Field Hockey
D/M
/ Field Hockey
F
/ Field Hockey
GK
/ Field Hockey
M
/ Field Hockey
D
/ Field Hockey
F
/ Field HockeyTeam Stats
NORTH CA
LIBERTY
Goals
1
2
Shots
8
10
Shots on Goal
2
5
Saves
3
0
Corners
4
8
Offsides
0
0
Fouls
0
0
Scoring Plays
Josefina Tomasi (7)
Assisted By: Pia Iapichino
Transition, finished past converging GK
15:51
Liz Bustillo (1)
Assisted By: Mia Santana
Cross from 12, one-timed finish
21:56
Charly Bruder (12)
Assisted By: Reese Anetsberger , Dani Mendez
GOAL by North Carolina Charly Bruder, Assist by Reese Anetsberger and Dani Mendez, goal number 12 for season.
52:11
Game Leaders
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Saturday, October 03
Monday, September 21
Thursday, April 16
Tuesday, November 11