Liberty’s fall sports are officially underway all over campus, and we will provide weekly updates on all of the teams throughout the semester.
CROSS COUNTRY
Competing in the first Conference USA Championships in any sport, the Liberty men’s and women’s cross country teams each came in second place at Hobson Grove Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
8 Flames finished inside the top 17 of the men’s 8K to earn All-CUSA honors, helping Liberty’s men’s team to finish inside the top two of its conference meet for the 21st year in a row including the Flames’ 10th consecutive runner-up showing. Middle Tennessee defeated Liberty by 16 points (37-53) for its fourth CUSA crown in seven years.
On the women’s side, Adelyn Fairley came in second for her fourth career first-team all-conference honor. Liberty finished with the same point total (61) as New Mexico State but won the tiebreaker for second place. Middle Tennessee tallied 52 points to complete a sweep of the team titles, taking home top honors for the fourth time in five seasons.
The NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships are next up for the Flames. The meet, which will determine the team and individual qualifiers for the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, is set for Nov. 10 at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
FIELD HOCKEY (17-2, 7-0 Big East)
Liberty saw its 12 game win streak snapped in Sunday’s Big East Championship, falling to Old Dominion. The two-time defending Big East Champions, Liberty was upset by the Monarchs. No. 1 seed Liberty, lost 3-1, to No. 2 seed ODU. The Monarchs receive the league’s automatic bid to the Field Hockey Championship.
In the semifinals, Liberty topped No. 4 seed Villanova, 3-2.
No. 6 Liberty received an at-large bid to the NCAA Field Hockey Championship for the first time in school history and will take on No. 12 Syracuse. The Big East regular season champion Lady Flames will face the Syracuse Orange (10-7) on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the Sweet 16. The match will be held at Duke’s Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium. The winner of that match will face off against No. 3 Duke and American who meet at noon on Friday.
The Lady Flames have automatically qualified for the NCAA Tournament four times and this will be their fifth appearance in the event in the 13 year history of the program. Liberty has qualified for the NCAA Field Hockey Championship in three straight seasons.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (16-2-1, 5-2-1 CUSA)
It’s a championship for the Lady Flames!
Liberty women’s soccer became the first program to win a Conference USA Championship as they finished the job on Sunday afternoon. The Lady Flames defeated No. 1 seed New Mexico State, 2-1.
In the semifinals, Liberty defeated No. 6 seed and host Louisiana Tech, 4-0. Rachel DeRuby, the CUSA Midfielder of the Year, paved the way in the win with two goals and an assist.
In the championship, DeRuby scored the opening goal and then assisted Saydie Holland who delivered the game-winner. Now, the Lady Flames advance to the NCAA Tournament where they take on SEC champion Georgia. The Lady Flames and Bulldogs, the No. 4 overall seed, will meet in Athens, Georgia on Friday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m.
MEN’S SOCCER (9-6-3, 4-4-2 OVC)
No. 3 seed Liberty lost to No. 6 seed Eastern Illinois in the Ohio Valley Men’s Soccer Quarterfinals on penalty kicks, 3-1. Despite outshooting Eastern Illinois, 26-8, during regulation and two 10-minute over time periods, Liberty was never able to score. Liberty’s season comes to an end at 9-6-3.
VOLLEYBALL (15-11, 8-6 CUSA)
The Lady Flames dominated Louisiana Tech in two matches over the weekend. Liberty defeated the Bulldogs in straight sets both Thursday and Friday to improve to 15-11 overall and 8-6 in league play. The Lady Flames have won four straight and will finish the regular season this weekend at UTEP. Liberty, making its third trip to Texas this year, will take on the Miners on Friday and Saturday.
