Thursday, March 19
St. Charles, Mo.
1:00 PM ET/12:00 PM CT
Liberty University
3-5, 1-0
19
at
8
Lindenwood
3-6, 0-1
1st quarter1
2nd quarter2
3rd quarter3
4th quarter4
FinalF
Liberty
2
6
9
2
19
Lindenwood (Mo)
2
2
1
3
8
Liberty Dominates in ASUN Opener, Roars Past Lions 19-8
3/19/2026 5:33:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
St. CHARLES, Mo. – Liberty (3-5, 1-0 ASUN) kicked off conference play with a dominant 19-8 display on the road at Lindenwood (3-6, 0-1 ASUN) on Thursday. The Lady Flames look to defend their 2025 Atlantic Sun championship title, where they bested Lindenwood in the semifinal. They begin that quest with a strong road triumph.
Liberty's offense was unstoppable, especially in the third quarter with nine tallies. The Lady Flames capitalized on 13 free-position attempts with six conversions. Their woman-up plays were on point, converting on four chances. Despite the Lions scoring five woman-up goals, they were not able to close the gap.
Sophia Nesci led the charge for Liberty with a career-high five goals and seven points, scoring on six total shots. Katie Colavito added four goals, nailing two free-position shots and three unassisted goals. Ava Rajala added four assists along with a goal. Olivia Young also tallied a hat trick with three goals and one assist. Fayedra Vang chipped in with two goals and an assist, scoring on four shots.
A pair of Lady Flames earned their first career scores on Thursday. Hattie Messick scored back-to-back goals in the third quarter. Rilynn Price followed with her first-ever tally.
Liberty Goals: Sophia Nesci 5 ; Katie Colavito 4 ; Olivia Young 3 ; Hattie Messick 2 ; Fayedra Vang 2 ; Amelia Loughery 1 ; Rilynn Price 1 ; Ava Rajala 1 .
Liberty Assists: Ava Rajala 4 ; Sophia Nesci 2 ; Claire Christensen 1 ; Madeleine Klunder 1 ; Fayedra Vang 1 ; Olivia Young 1
Lindenwood Goals: Nicole Gorman 2 ; Reese Krieger 2 ; Claire Blue 1 ; Isabella Jahkhah 1 ; Maddie Macleod 1 ; Carly Thiel 1
Lindenwood Assists: Luci Selander 2 ; Alissa Digiacinto 1 ; Isabella Disciascio 1 ; Nicole Gorman 1 ; Breckin Hare 1
Liberty Goalkeeper: Rachel Hines (3-5), eight saves, eight goals, 16 shots faced
Lindenwood Goalkeeper: Taylor Caughlin (2-6), 12 saves, 30 shots
Mia Harrington, one save, two shots faced
First Quarter 2-2
Liberty set the tone early with the first two scores in the game. After an early turnover, Liberty capitalized on a free-position attempt, with Nesci hitting the net at 12:04. Young extended the lead with a free-position goal at 11:27. The scores were the first of six free-position scores for Liberty.
The Lions answered back with goals by Carly Thiel and Reese Krieger, tying the score at 2–2 by the quarter's end. Both teams showcased solid defense, with Rachel Hines making three crucial saves for Liberty.
Second Quarter 8-4
Liberty surged ahead in the second quarter with four consecutive goals to open the frame. Rajala scored early at 13:58 from a free-position attempt. The momentum continued as Young found the net at 12:25 to widen the lead. Liberty kept the pressure with a woman-up goal from Colavito at 08:09, followed by another goal by Nesci at 06:56, while a woman-down.
The Lions managed two late goals to tighten the score before Vang closed the quarter, scoring a goal with just three seconds remaining, to enter the half leading 8–4.
Third Quarter 17-5
The third quarter saw Liberty's offense catch fire, highlighted by Nesci's goal at 14:39, quickly followed by Colavito's goal less than a minute later. Liberty kept the momentum, with Young scoring at 13:08 with an assist from Rajala, who also assisted Vang's goal shortly after.
Liberty capitalized with a woman-down goal by Nesci at 11:37, assisted by Madeleine Klunder for the first of her career. Liberty continued its scoring streak with a woman-up free-position goal by Colavito at 09:50. Additional goals from Hattie Messick and Rilynn Price, assisted by Young, underscored their dominant quarter.
The Lions added a late goal, but Liberty finished the quarter with a 9–1 lead. Including Vang's goal in the waning seconds of the half, the Lady Flames scored ten consecutive goals.
Fourth Quarter 19-8
Liberty capitalized on a Lions turnover with Colavito scoring at 8:36, maintaining the substantial lead. Although the Lions' Maddie MacLeod scored a woman-up goal shortly after. Later in the quarter, Amelia Loughery scored with an assist from Claire Christensen at 1:40, further solidifying Liberty's advantage. The Lions added two late goals, but Liberty wrapped up the game with a 19–8 victory.
Lady Flames News & Notes
Liberty (3-5) will take on Austin Peay (4-6) for the first time when they meet in Clarksville, Tenn., on Saturday. Austin Peay is in its inaugural women's lacrosse season. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Liberty's offense was unstoppable, especially in the third quarter with nine tallies. The Lady Flames capitalized on 13 free-position attempts with six conversions. Their woman-up plays were on point, converting on four chances. Despite the Lions scoring five woman-up goals, they were not able to close the gap.
Sophia Nesci led the charge for Liberty with a career-high five goals and seven points, scoring on six total shots. Katie Colavito added four goals, nailing two free-position shots and three unassisted goals. Ava Rajala added four assists along with a goal. Olivia Young also tallied a hat trick with three goals and one assist. Fayedra Vang chipped in with two goals and an assist, scoring on four shots.
A pair of Lady Flames earned their first career scores on Thursday. Hattie Messick scored back-to-back goals in the third quarter. Rilynn Price followed with her first-ever tally.
Liberty Goals: Sophia Nesci 5 ; Katie Colavito 4 ; Olivia Young 3 ; Hattie Messick 2 ; Fayedra Vang 2 ; Amelia Loughery 1 ; Rilynn Price 1 ; Ava Rajala 1 .
Liberty Assists: Ava Rajala 4 ; Sophia Nesci 2 ; Claire Christensen 1 ; Madeleine Klunder 1 ; Fayedra Vang 1 ; Olivia Young 1
Lindenwood Goals: Nicole Gorman 2 ; Reese Krieger 2 ; Claire Blue 1 ; Isabella Jahkhah 1 ; Maddie Macleod 1 ; Carly Thiel 1
Lindenwood Assists: Luci Selander 2 ; Alissa Digiacinto 1 ; Isabella Disciascio 1 ; Nicole Gorman 1 ; Breckin Hare 1
Liberty Goalkeeper: Rachel Hines (3-5), eight saves, eight goals, 16 shots faced
Lindenwood Goalkeeper: Taylor Caughlin (2-6), 12 saves, 30 shots
Mia Harrington, one save, two shots faced
First Quarter 2-2
Liberty set the tone early with the first two scores in the game. After an early turnover, Liberty capitalized on a free-position attempt, with Nesci hitting the net at 12:04. Young extended the lead with a free-position goal at 11:27. The scores were the first of six free-position scores for Liberty.
The Lions answered back with goals by Carly Thiel and Reese Krieger, tying the score at 2–2 by the quarter's end. Both teams showcased solid defense, with Rachel Hines making three crucial saves for Liberty.
Second Quarter 8-4
Liberty surged ahead in the second quarter with four consecutive goals to open the frame. Rajala scored early at 13:58 from a free-position attempt. The momentum continued as Young found the net at 12:25 to widen the lead. Liberty kept the pressure with a woman-up goal from Colavito at 08:09, followed by another goal by Nesci at 06:56, while a woman-down.
The Lions managed two late goals to tighten the score before Vang closed the quarter, scoring a goal with just three seconds remaining, to enter the half leading 8–4.
Third Quarter 17-5
The third quarter saw Liberty's offense catch fire, highlighted by Nesci's goal at 14:39, quickly followed by Colavito's goal less than a minute later. Liberty kept the momentum, with Young scoring at 13:08 with an assist from Rajala, who also assisted Vang's goal shortly after.
Liberty capitalized with a woman-down goal by Nesci at 11:37, assisted by Madeleine Klunder for the first of her career. Liberty continued its scoring streak with a woman-up free-position goal by Colavito at 09:50. Additional goals from Hattie Messick and Rilynn Price, assisted by Young, underscored their dominant quarter.
The Lions added a late goal, but Liberty finished the quarter with a 9–1 lead. Including Vang's goal in the waning seconds of the half, the Lady Flames scored ten consecutive goals.
Fourth Quarter 19-8
Liberty capitalized on a Lions turnover with Colavito scoring at 8:36, maintaining the substantial lead. Although the Lions' Maddie MacLeod scored a woman-up goal shortly after. Later in the quarter, Amelia Loughery scored with an assist from Claire Christensen at 1:40, further solidifying Liberty's advantage. The Lions added two late goals, but Liberty wrapped up the game with a 19–8 victory.
Lady Flames News & Notes
- Liberty held a 39-20 advantage in shots and a 32-16 edge in shots on goal.
- The Lady Flames forced 11 caused turnovers compared to Lindenwood forcing four. Four Lady Flames, Jenna Burrow, Colavito, Madeleine Klunder and Ava Menna, each had two caused turnovers.
- Menna led the Lady Flames with six draw controls.
- Liberty earned 22 ground balls to Lindenwood's 12.
- The Flames went 6-of-13 in free-position attempts, bossing its season-long efficiency to 19-of-40 (.475). Nesci leads the team with a 5-of-8 clip.
- Nesci, a freshman, has scored multiple goals in five consecutive games. She has scored at least once in every game this season.
- Hines recorded eight saves on the game against 16 shots faced. She now carries a 12.64 goals-against average and a .424 save percentage.
Liberty (3-5) will take on Austin Peay (4-6) for the first time when they meet in Clarksville, Tenn., on Saturday. Austin Peay is in its inaugural women's lacrosse season. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Team Stats
LIB
LWU
Shots
39
20
Turnovers
15
27
Caused Turnovers
11
4
Draw Controls
11
15
Free-Position Shots
13
2
Ground Balls
22
12
Game Leaders
G
5
A
2
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
4
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-60
GB
5
CT
2
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-60
GB
0
CT
0
G
2
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
1
Players Mentioned
D
/ Women's Lacrosse
M/A
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's Lacrosse
GK
/ Women's Lacrosse
D
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
M
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's Lacrosse
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's LacrosseA
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Mackenzie Lehman & Katie Colavito Talk About Preparing For The NCAA WLAX Tournament
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