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
Tristian Merchant’s first appearance in a Liberty cross country uniform was a memorable one as he raced to an individual victory in the men’s 8K at the Eye Opener at Milliken Research Park. That performance helped lead the Flames to a men’s team title. He was one of 10 Flames to cross the finish line inside the top 18 as Liberty posted a 15-point margin of victory over Furman atop the 18-team men’s field.
Meanwhile, Adelyn Fairley took 11th in the women’s 5K, pacing the Lady Flames to a third-place team showing. The Lady Flames edged South Carolina by one point for third place out of 17 women’s squads. Liberty trailed only Furman and Clemson in the final standings.
The Lady Flames will return to action on Sept. 23 at the Virginia Invitational in Charlottesville at Panorama Farms, site of the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
FIELD HOCKEY (7-1)
Liberty field hockey was perfect on the week with two wins and slid up one spot in the national rankings to No. 9. First, on Friday, the Lady Flames shut out visiting Old Dominion, 2-0, in the conference opener. Tuti Dell Anna scored her first goal in a Liberty uniform while senior Reagan Underwood scored an insurance goal int he final minute of the contest.
On Sunday, Liberty scored twice in the last two minutes for a 2-0 road shutout win at William & Mary.
Liberty will return to action on Friday for a Big East home game against Providence with game time set for noon at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
WOMEN’S SOCCER (9-0)
The Liberty women’s soccer team celebrated Senior Night by improving to 8-0 in 2023, snagging a 2-0 shutout victory over Appalachian State on Thursday night. On Sunday, Rachel DeRuby recorded a goal and an assist as Liberty shut out in-state foe VMI, 2-0.
With the wins, the Lady Flames extended their NCAA Division I leading unbeaten streak to 22 games (19-0-3). Liberty is just one of two teams in the country with a win in every event of 2023, joining Florida State (6-0).
Liberty now turns its attention to CUSA play, making its league debut at Middle Tennessee on Thursday at 8 p.m.
MEN’S SOCCER (5-2)
The Liberty Flames shut down the USC Upstate attack with a strong second half defensive effort to roll past the Spartans 4-1 on Saturday at Osborne Stadium. Leading 2-1 at halftime, the Flames pulled away in the second half, holding the visitors to one shot over the final 45 minutes. Luke Ebrle scored twice in the contest for the Flames.
On Tuesday, Liberty traveled to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to take on No. 14 Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons used two first half goals as they picked up the 3-1 win.
The Flames will complete the non-conference portion of its 2023 regular season schedule on Saturday afternoon by traveling to Lexington, Virginia to take on the VMI Keydets at 1 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL (7-5)
Liberty was swept, 3-0, in its two matches in Texas this past week. The Lady Flames fell to No. 22 Houston on Thursday and then Texas A&M on Friday. The slide continued on Tuesday as Liberty dropped its 5th straight setback following a 7-0 start to the season. The host Old Dominion Monarchs battled back from a 2-1 deficit to earn a 3-2 win over Liberty.
The Lady Flames are off the next week from competition before beginning Conference USA play next Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29-30 at Middle Tennessee.
