Field Hockey to Host VCU & ODU, This Weekend
9/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
The Lady Flames field hockey team will host its home opener of the 2014 campaign against the VCU Rams on Friday at Liberty Field Hockey Field. The contest is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Liberty will then host No. 9 Old Dominion on Sunday at 1 p.m. This meeting will be the second preseason Top 20 opponent that the Lady Flames have faced in their first four games.
How to Follow the Lady Flames
A free live video stream courtesy of the Liberty Flames Sports Network and the Big South Network will be available for both games on the field hockey schedule/results panel. Live stats powered by StatBroadcast will also be available.
A Glance at Liberty
The Lady Flames come into this weekend with a 1-1 record (1-0 NorPac) following their season-opening West Coast trip. Liberty defeated NorPac foe Pacific in the first game by a score of 2-1. Hannah Doherty was able to capture the game-winning goal for the Lady Flames. Liberty then faced the No. 12 Stanford Cardinal in a rematch of the 2013 NorPac championship contest, a game which had a different outcome. The Cardinal were able to come away with a 4-1 victory over the Lady Flames.
A Glance at the Rams
VCU finished the 2013 season 10-10 before falling in the Atlantic 10 semifinals to Massachusetts by a score of 1-0. The Rams come into Lynchburg with an 0-1 record following their 3-1 loss at Drexel. VCU was picked to finish third in the A-10 conference standings this year. The Rams are 1-1 when facing the Lady Flames, with the last matchup going in Liberty's favor with a 5-2 victory at Cary Street Field in Richmond, Va. on Sept. 15, 2013.
A Glance at the Lady Monarchs
ODU is coming off a very successful season in which they finished 13-8 and finished the season ranked No. 8 according to the NCAA Field Hockey RPI rankings. The Lady Monarchs made an NCAA Tournament appearance where they were upended in the first round 3-2 by No. 13 Wake Forest. ODU comes into this weekend's matchup ranked No. 9 in the preseason poll. However, the Lady Monarchs began the season 0-2 with both losses coming to a preseason Top 20 team. This matchup will be the first time that these two teams have met in program history.
A Look Ahead
The Lady Flames will travel up north for a pair of weekend contests in Pennsylvania. Liberty will face Lafayette on Sept. 12 for a 7 p.m. contest at Rappolt Field in Easton, Pa. The Lady Flames will then turn around to play the Penn Quakers on Sept. 14 in an 11 a.m. contest at Ellen Vagelos C'90 Field in Philadelphia, Pa.
