Tuesday, April 28
Jacksonville, Fla.
6:00 PM ET
Liberty University
8-10, 5-3
16
vs
9
No. 6 seed Kennesaw State
8-10, 3-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennesaw St. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Liberty | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 16 |
No. 3 Liberty Advances with 16-9 Triumph over No. 6 Kennesaw State
4/29/2026 12:10:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Liberty (8-10) defeated Kennesaw State (8-10) 16–9 on Tuesday in the first round of the 2026 Atlantic Sun Women's Lacrosse Championship. The Lady Flames advance to take on tournament host, No. 2 seed Jacksonville (11-5), on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Katie Colavito led the offensive charge with five goals, including two in woman-up situations. Olivia Young tallied four goals, converting six of her nine shots on goal. Ava Menna dominated the draw circle, securing eight draw controls to maintain possession. Ava Rajala chipped in a hat trick with three goals. ASUN Freshman of the Year, Sophia Nesci dished four assists in the contest. Ava Menna led all players with eight draw controls as Liberty outdrew Kennesaw State 16-11.
Liberty utilized a stretch of eight consecutive goals between the second and third quarters. The streak came after the game was tied 3-3 at the 13:35 mark of the second quarter. The stretch included three goals from Young and a pair from Colavito.
Kennesaw later narrowed the lead to 11-6 with 4:40 remaining in the third quarter. The Lady Flames responded with three consecutive goals, including two goals within 20 seconds from Rajala.
Liberty Goals: Katie Colavito 5 ; Olivia Young 4 ; Ava Rajala 3 ; Kate Troutman 2 ; Kendall Coss 1 ; Fayedra Vang 1
Liberty Assists: Sophia Nesci 4 ; Ava Menna 1 ; Claire Christensen 1 ; Kendall Coss 1 ; Fayedra Vang 1
Kennesaw State Goals: Lexi Tinker 3 ; Natalie Charyak 2 ; Caleigh Shore 2 ; Marleigh Belinfanti 1 ; Jordyn Olivo 1
Kennesaw State Assists: Marleigh Belinfanti 3 ; Lauren Dobbs 1 ; Lexi Tinker 1
Liberty Goalkeeper: Rachel Hines (8-10) four saves, nine goals, 22 shots faced
Kennesaw State Goalkeeper: Cybella Smith (6-6) eight saves, 16 goals, 38 shots faced
First Quarter Liberty 3, Kennesaw State 1
Liberty initiated the first quarter with control, as Ava Menna secured the draw, leading to Colavito's opening goal at 14:09. Despite Kennesaw State equalizing shortly after, Liberty quickly regained momentum with Colavito scoring again at 13:10, assisted by Menna directly following a draw. Liberty continued to exert pressure, with Rajala adding to the tally at 3:50. The period concluded with Liberty leading 3–1 over Kennesaw State.
Second Quarter Liberty 9, Kennesaw State 3
Liberty overcame an early challenge from the Owls in the second quarter, responding to two quick goals by Lexi Tinker and Marleigh Belinfanti with a series of effective plays. Kate Troutman initiated Liberty's scoring with a goal at 12:48. Young then converted a free position shot at 10:08 to tie the game, followed by another goal at 7:53, to give Liberty the lead. Liberty continued to control the pace, with Colavito adding another goal at 3:57 and Kendall Coss capitalizing on a woman-up situation with a free position goal at 2:02. Olivia Young secured her third goal of the period with 46 seconds remaining. The period concluded with Liberty leading 9–3, having scored six unanswered goals.
Third Quarter Liberty 14, Kennesaw State 6
Liberty asserted control in the third quarter with an early goal by Vang at 14:19. Despite a response from Kennesaw that included three goals, Liberty maintained its momentum with goals from Colavito and Troutman. Rajala further extended Liberty's advantage with back-to-back goals at 2:03 and 1:42, solidifying the period's dominance. The period concluded with Liberty leading 14–6.
Fourth Quarter Liberty 16, Kennesaw State 9
Despite Kennesaw State's early push, including goals by Caleigh Shore and Natalie Charyak, Liberty responded with a woman-up goal by Colavito at 5:11. Young extended Liberty's lead with a goal at 2:48, solidifying their control. Kennesaw State managed one more goal by Shore in the final seconds, but Liberty's earlier scoring ensured a 16–9 victory to end the game.
Lady Flames News & Notes
Up Next
Liberty (8-10) will meet tournament host, No. 2 seed Jacksonville (11-5), on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Rock Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Katie Colavito led the offensive charge with five goals, including two in woman-up situations. Olivia Young tallied four goals, converting six of her nine shots on goal. Ava Menna dominated the draw circle, securing eight draw controls to maintain possession. Ava Rajala chipped in a hat trick with three goals. ASUN Freshman of the Year, Sophia Nesci dished four assists in the contest. Ava Menna led all players with eight draw controls as Liberty outdrew Kennesaw State 16-11.
Liberty utilized a stretch of eight consecutive goals between the second and third quarters. The streak came after the game was tied 3-3 at the 13:35 mark of the second quarter. The stretch included three goals from Young and a pair from Colavito.
Kennesaw later narrowed the lead to 11-6 with 4:40 remaining in the third quarter. The Lady Flames responded with three consecutive goals, including two goals within 20 seconds from Rajala.
Liberty Goals: Katie Colavito 5 ; Olivia Young 4 ; Ava Rajala 3 ; Kate Troutman 2 ; Kendall Coss 1 ; Fayedra Vang 1
Liberty Assists: Sophia Nesci 4 ; Ava Menna 1 ; Claire Christensen 1 ; Kendall Coss 1 ; Fayedra Vang 1
Kennesaw State Goals: Lexi Tinker 3 ; Natalie Charyak 2 ; Caleigh Shore 2 ; Marleigh Belinfanti 1 ; Jordyn Olivo 1
Kennesaw State Assists: Marleigh Belinfanti 3 ; Lauren Dobbs 1 ; Lexi Tinker 1
Liberty Goalkeeper: Rachel Hines (8-10) four saves, nine goals, 22 shots faced
Kennesaw State Goalkeeper: Cybella Smith (6-6) eight saves, 16 goals, 38 shots faced
First Quarter Liberty 3, Kennesaw State 1
Liberty initiated the first quarter with control, as Ava Menna secured the draw, leading to Colavito's opening goal at 14:09. Despite Kennesaw State equalizing shortly after, Liberty quickly regained momentum with Colavito scoring again at 13:10, assisted by Menna directly following a draw. Liberty continued to exert pressure, with Rajala adding to the tally at 3:50. The period concluded with Liberty leading 3–1 over Kennesaw State.
Second Quarter Liberty 9, Kennesaw State 3
Liberty overcame an early challenge from the Owls in the second quarter, responding to two quick goals by Lexi Tinker and Marleigh Belinfanti with a series of effective plays. Kate Troutman initiated Liberty's scoring with a goal at 12:48. Young then converted a free position shot at 10:08 to tie the game, followed by another goal at 7:53, to give Liberty the lead. Liberty continued to control the pace, with Colavito adding another goal at 3:57 and Kendall Coss capitalizing on a woman-up situation with a free position goal at 2:02. Olivia Young secured her third goal of the period with 46 seconds remaining. The period concluded with Liberty leading 9–3, having scored six unanswered goals.
Third Quarter Liberty 14, Kennesaw State 6
Liberty asserted control in the third quarter with an early goal by Vang at 14:19. Despite a response from Kennesaw that included three goals, Liberty maintained its momentum with goals from Colavito and Troutman. Rajala further extended Liberty's advantage with back-to-back goals at 2:03 and 1:42, solidifying the period's dominance. The period concluded with Liberty leading 14–6.
Fourth Quarter Liberty 16, Kennesaw State 9
Despite Kennesaw State's early push, including goals by Caleigh Shore and Natalie Charyak, Liberty responded with a woman-up goal by Colavito at 5:11. Young extended Liberty's lead with a goal at 2:48, solidifying their control. Kennesaw State managed one more goal by Shore in the final seconds, but Liberty's earlier scoring ensured a 16–9 victory to end the game.
Lady Flames News & Notes
- Liberty outshot Kennesaw State 38-22 with a 19-12 edge in shots on goal.
- Rajala (3g) continues to lead the team with 61 points and 33 assists.
- Colavito (5g) still leads the team with 46 goals this season. She now ranks No. 3 in program history with 130 career goals.
- Young (4 g) has now scored at least once in her last 12 contests.
- Rachel Hines (8-10) made four saves on Tuesday. She now carries season-long totals of an 11.65 goals-against average and a .429 save percentage.
- Nesci recorded a career-high four assists on Tuesday.
- Kate Troutman recorded two goals in a single game since her freshman season in 2022.
- Madeleine Klunder led the team with four ground balls and three caused turnovers.
Up Next
Liberty (8-10) will meet tournament host, No. 2 seed Jacksonville (11-5), on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Rock Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Team Stats
KENNESAW
LIBERTY
Shots
22
38
Turnovers
25
19
Caused Turnovers
17
16
Draw Controls
11
16
Free-Position Shots
2
9
Ground Balls
20
23
Game Leaders
G
5
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
1
G
4
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
3
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
3
CT
2
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
Players Mentioned
M/A
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's Lacrosse
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
GK
/ Women's Lacrosse
D
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's LacrosseM
/ Women's Lacrosse
M
/ Women's LacrosseA
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