(L-R) Seniors Kyleigh Faust, Tori Griffiths and Luna Prieri, who will be honored prior to Sunday's home game against Longwood.
No. 13 Liberty to Take on No. 11 Virginia, Longwood in First Two Home Matches
9/10/2026 10:29:00 AM | Field Hockey
LYNCHBURG, Va. – No. 13 Liberty will take on a pair of in-state foes in No. 11 Virginia and Longwood in its first two home games of the 2026 field hockey season.
The Lady Flames (3-1) will first square off with the Virginia Cavaliers (2-1) in a top-15 showdown on Friday evening at 5 p.m. at the Liberty Field Hockey Field. On Sunday afternoon, Liberty faces Longwood (0-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday is Senior Day for the Liberty field hockey program. Prior to the contest, the program will honor its three seniors – Kyleigh Faust, Tori Griffiths and Luna Prieri – with a special pregame ceremony.
Liberty enters its opening weekend at home coming off a pair of road victories. The Lady Flames knocked off Saint Joseph's 5-1 last Friday, followed by a 2-1 overtime triumph at James Madison on Sunday. Virginia will be looking to bounce back from its first loss of 2026. The Cavaliers fell 2-1 to Ohio State on Sunday in a neutral-site match played at Rutgers. Longwood, who will play at Davidson on Friday before traveling to Lynchburg, is in search of its first win of the year.
Lady Flames News and Notes
The Lady Flames (3-1) will first square off with the Virginia Cavaliers (2-1) in a top-15 showdown on Friday evening at 5 p.m. at the Liberty Field Hockey Field. On Sunday afternoon, Liberty faces Longwood (0-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday is Senior Day for the Liberty field hockey program. Prior to the contest, the program will honor its three seniors – Kyleigh Faust, Tori Griffiths and Luna Prieri – with a special pregame ceremony.
Liberty enters its opening weekend at home coming off a pair of road victories. The Lady Flames knocked off Saint Joseph's 5-1 last Friday, followed by a 2-1 overtime triumph at James Madison on Sunday. Virginia will be looking to bounce back from its first loss of 2026. The Cavaliers fell 2-1 to Ohio State on Sunday in a neutral-site match played at Rutgers. Longwood, who will play at Davidson on Friday before traveling to Lynchburg, is in search of its first win of the year.
Lady Flames News and Notes
- Liberty moved up one spot to No. 13 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll this week. The Lady Flames have been listed among the top 15 teams in the country in every poll since the week one poll (Sept. 9, 2025) of the 2025 season.
- Sophomore Julieta Tornati and junior Josefina Tomasi were both named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Tuesday. Tornati, a sophomore midfielder/defender, paced the squad in goals (2) and points (5) and shared the team lead in assists (1) in last weekend's pair of games. Tomasi scored the game-winning goal in overtime at JMU and added an assist and a defensive save in the two matches.
- The Lady Flames' senior class features Kyleigh Faust, Tori Griffiths and Luna Prieri. Faust and Griffiths are both in their fifth years at Liberty, while Prieri is in her fourth year of college and second year with the Lady Flames (transferred from Longwood). Faust leads the group with 62 career games (55 starts). Griffiths has made 36 career appearances with five starts at Liberty. Prieri has appeared in 17 games in a Liberty jersey with four starts.
- Virginia leads the all-time series with Liberty 8-2. Last year, UVA edged Liberty 1-0 in Charlottesville. Nine of the 10 all-time contests between the two squads have been decided by exactly one goal.
- This will be the 16th all-time game between Liberty and Longwood. Last year, the Lady Flames bested the Lancers 7-1 on the road. Six different Liberty players scored goals in the contest. Liberty is 11-4 all-time against Longwood and has won six straight meetings.
- Liberty posted a perfect 10-0 home record playing in front of Flames Nation during the 2025 season. The Lady Flames' last home game was the 2025 BIG EAST Championship final, a 2-1 overtime triumph over UConn to claim their third BIG EAST crown.
- The Lady Flames are 25-3 at home in the last three seasons, going unbeaten in two of those. Liberty posted a perfect 9-0 mark at home during the 2023 season.
- Liberty is one of five teams in the nation tied for second in defensive saves with three. Tomasi has two of those three, and Faust has the other one.
- Sophomore Mia Santana leads the team with three assists, already matching her season total in assists from last year (20 games).
Players Mentioned
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