6 Players Earn Big South All-Conference Recognition

The Liberty women's lacrosse program had six players garner Big South All-Conference recognition in the league's release of annual award winners, Thursday afternoon.

For a second straight year, a Liberty player has been named the Big South Conference Women's Lacrosse Freshman of the Year. Freshman Carly White was honored as the Big South Freshman of the Year, joining Kayla Foster, who received the honor in 2016.

Foster, senior Courtney Brown and senior Victoria Tickle were selected to the Big South All-Conference second team, while sophomore Brianna McCaffrey and senior Lindsey McNamara both received Big South All-Conference honorable mention.

Six Lady Flames garnered Big South All-Conference recognition in the league's release of annual award winners.

"I'm really proud of these girls and all the work they have put in this year. It's a testament to the type of players and people these young ladies are to be selected to postseason honors," stated Liberty Lacrosse Head Coach Kelly Nangle. "We are excited to begin this new chapter of the season!"

Carly White
White, a native of Marietta, Ga., performed exceptionally in seven Big South regular-season contests. The freshman compiled 17 goals, eight assists and 25 points in those matches. The two best efforts of her season came in Big South play against Campbell and Winthrop.

Against Campbell on April 8, the midfielder scored a career-high four goals to go along with an assist, five ground balls, two draw controls and two caused turnovers. Last Saturday at Winthrop, she matched a career-best with four goals and added three assists for a career-high seven points. White also contributed two caused turnovers, two ground balls and two ground balls on the afternoon.

In 17 games this season, White is tied for third on the team in goals (21), second in assists (15) and third in points (36). The native of Georgia has also contributed 33 ground balls, 21 caused turnovers and 19 draw controls.

Kayla Foster
Foster, who was the Big South Freshman of the Year in 2016, makes her second straight appearance on the Big South All-Conference second team.

The native of Sewickley, Pa., led Liberty with 34 points in seven Big South Contests (15 goals, 19 assists). Foster's signature performance came on April 12 at Gardner-Webb. On that day, she broke the Liberty lacrosse single-game program record for assists (8) and points (11).

Through 17 contests this spring, Foster is second on the squad in goals (26), first in assists (31) and first in points (57). The sophomore has 108 points in 35 games, placing her sixth all-time in school history for career points.

Courtney Brown
Brown, a senior midfielder from Ladera Ranch, Calif., has put together the best year, statistically, of her four-year Liberty career in being selected to the all-conference second team for the first time in her career.

In 17 regular-season contests, Brown tallied 15 goals, nine assists, 24 points, 32 ground balls, 26 draw controls and 16 caused turnovers. The senior contributed nine goals, four assists and 13 points in Big South action, this spring. Brown's top two performance both came in conference play. She poured in a career-high four goals at Gardner-Webb on April 12 and scored three times on Senior Night, April 19 versus Radford.

Brown was also named to the Big South All-Academic team for her efforts in the classroom. She holds a cumulative GPA of 3.64 and will graduate with a degree in industrial & systems engineering.

Victoria Tickle
Tickle, a senior defender, has anchored the defense during her final season with the Lady Flames in earning all-conference second team distinction for the first time in her Liberty career. The native of Fairfax, Va., leads the squad with 50 ground balls and places 29th nationally in ground balls per game (2.94). Tickle also paces the team with 25 caused turnovers, while she has compiled 19 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers in seven Big South contests.

The senior's best performance of her career came eight days ago on Senior Night at the Liberty Lacrosse Field. Tickle recorded six caused turnovers and corralled six ground balls versus Radford, both career highs. Her six forced turnovers was the second-highest output by any Lady Flame in program history.

Tickle ranks seventh all-time in program history in both ground balls (99) and caused turnovers (55) in 48 career matches.

Brianna McCaffrey
McCaffrey, the team's leading scorer with 31 goals, makes her second consecutive appearance among the Big South's annual award winners after being named second team all-conference in 2016. The sophomore attacker scored 15 of her 31 markers in league play, including a four-goal effort at Presbyterian in Liberty's Big South opener (April 8) and a pair of three-goal efforts against Longwood (April 5) and Radford (April 19).

McCaffrey ranks first on the team in draw controls (75) and shots (103) and second in points (40) and caused turnovers (24). The Boca Raton, Fla., native's work in the draw circle puts her at fifth in the Big South and 37th in the country in draw controls per game (4.41).

Lindsey McNamara
McNamara, a junior defender hailing from Orlando, Fla., makes her first career appearance among the Big South's annual award winners. The junior has started all 17 games for Liberty, compiling 21 caused turnovers (tied for third on the team) and 22 ground balls. She has exhibited dominance in the midfield throughout the season, often carrying the ball out of the Lady Flames' zone during clear attempts.

McNamara started the year on a strong note, putting together a pair of three-ground ball, three-caused turnover efforts at No. 8 Notre Dame and Butler, Feb. 10 and 12. She matched those performances with three ground balls and three caused turnovers in a 21-7 victory at Gardner-Webb on April 12.

Other Award Winners and Postseason Preview
High Point, the top seed for the upcoming 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship, won three of the conference's major awards handed down. Attacker Samantha Brown was tabbed the Big South Offensive Player of the Year, while Christina Del Sesto was voted the Big South Defensive Player of the Year. High Point Lacrosse Head Coach Lyndsey Boswell was named the Big South Coach of the year.

Campbell attacker Mackenzie Koeller was named the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
No. 4 seed Liberty will begin 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship play with a quarterfinal contest No. 5 seed Longwood, Saturday at noon at the Liberty Lacrosse Field. The victor will move on to face No. 1 seed High Point on May 5 at 4 p.m. in the semifinals. The Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship title game will take place at noon on May 7 at High Point's Vert Stadium.

First Team All-Conference
ATT     Samantha Brown, Sr., High Point
ATT     Nicole Beatson, Jr., Winthrop
ATT     Kayla Reilly, Jr., Campbell
MF       Katherine Judge, Jr., Winthrop
MF       Melissa Placek, Soph., Campbell
MF       Erica Perrotta, Jr., High Point
MF       Carly White, Fr., Liberty
MF       Molly Barkman, Fr., Longwood
D         Christina Del Sesto, Sr., High Point
D         Maura Talvacchia, Sr., Presbyterian College
D         Paige Jenkins, Sr., Winthrop
GK       Merredith Bechler, Sr., Campbell
AL        Emma Rogers, MF, Soph., Radford
AL        Samantha Herman, MF, Soph., High Point
AL        Ashley Britton, MF, Fr., High Point

Second Team All-Conference
ATT    Kayla Foster, Soph., Liberty
ATT     Brooke Stevens, Jr., High Point
ATT     Kristen Shriver, Jr., Winthrop
MF       Kaitlin Luccarelli, Fr., Longwood
MF       Courtney Brown, Sr., Liberty
MF       Stephanie Roberts, Soph., Longwood
MF       Callie Bonnel, Soph., Radford
MF       Abby Hanscom, Soph., Gardner-Webb
D         Erin O'Hara, Sr., Campbell
D         Victoria Tickle, Sr., Liberty
D         Maddie Rollins, Sr., Longwood
GK       Jill Rall, Fr., High Point
AL        Megan Reilly, D, Jr., Campbell
AL        Olivia Nostrant, D, Jr., High Point
AL        Lindsey Carroll, ATT, Fr., Radford

Honorable Mention All-Conference
ATT     Amanda Steinmuller, Jr., Gardner-Webb
ATT    Brianna McCaffrey, Soph., Liberty
GK       Imani West, Jr., Longwood
D         Lindsey McNamara, Jr., Liberty
ATT     Mackenzie Koeller, Jr., Campbell

All-Academic Team
Mackenzie Koeller, Jr., ATT, Campbell
Emma Rose, Sr., ATT, Gardner-Webb
Samantha Brown, Sr., ATT, High Point
Courtney Brown, Sr., MF, Liberty
Riley Dolan, Jr., ATT, Longwood
Maura Talvacchia, Sr., D, Presbyterian College
Adrian Rius, Soph., ATT, Radford
Katherine Judge, Jr., MF, Winthrop

Offensive Player of the Year
Samantha Brown, Sr., ATT, High Point

Defensive Player of the Year
Christina Del Sesto, Sr., D, High Point

Freshman of the Year
Carly White, Fr., MF, Liberty

Coach of the Year
Lyndsey Boswell, High Point

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Mackenzie Koeller, Jr., ATT, Campbell

Women's Tennis Adds Medina and Soares in 2017-18 Class

Liberty Women's Tennis Head Coach Jeff Maren has announced the additions of transfers Maria Medina and Lara Soares for the 2017-18 academic year.

Medina (left) and Soares (right) will be joining the Liberty women's tennis program starting in the 2017-18 academic year.

Medina, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, will be transferring from State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. She holds a 10 Universal Tennis player rating (UTR) and has been ranked No. 1 in the country in both singles and doubles for most of her two years at State College of Florida.

Medina was ranked as high as No. 862 in singles on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) pro tour before attending State College.

"Time made me realize that there is no place like Liberty University," Medina stated. "I am excited about my commitment with such an exceptional school and can't wait to join the Liberty Flames family!"

Soares, a native of Sobradinho, Brazil, is currently finishing her second year at NCAA DII Southwest Baptist in Missouri. As a freshman, Soares played in the No. 1-3 singles flights, going 22-0. In doubles, Soares posted a 25-2 mark as a first-year player and helped lead SBU to a No. 12 national ranking.

"I am really excited to join the Liberty family. After visiting the university, I had no doubt about how this opportunity would be great for me," Soares said. "Liberty has an excellent program for student-athletes, and it also provides the best facilities. I believe coach Maren, coach Lemmi and all the girls will help me achieve my goals, and I will do my best to contribute to the success of our team!"

This year, Soares is currently 15-6 overall in the No. 1 slot in the lineup and is 20-2 at No. 1 doubles. The Southwest Baptist Bearcats currently sit at No. 16 in the NCAA DII rankings and will be playing in the national tournament, next week.

Soares was also ranked as high as No. 633 on the ITF World Junior circuit prior to attending Southwest Baptist.

"We are very excited to welcome Maria and Lara to our Flames family! They will bring a wealth of experience to our program and are both gifted with mental toughness, which will aid us in our pursuit of conference championships and national rankings," Maren stated.

No. 2 Charleston Southern Edges No. 3 Liberty, 4-3, in Big South Semifinals

The Big South's No. 2 seed, Charleston Southern, overcame a late 3-2 deficit to top No. 3 Liberty, 4-3, Saturday in the 2017 Big South Women's Tennis Championship semifinals at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.

Trailing 3-2, the Bucs prevailed in the No. 2 and No. 5 singles matches for the victory. Charleston Southern's Sophie Cloessner tied the match at 3-3 with a two-set victory over Evangeline Crist (6-4, 6-3). In the No. 5 match, Valeria Koussenkova came back from a 5-1 deficit in the third set to defeat Emily Groeneveld, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3), and win the match for CSU.

Charleston Southern (17-2) will move on to face No. 1 seed Winthrop (18-5) in tomorrow's championship match at noon. The Eagles bested No. 5 seed UNC Asheville, 4-0, in Saturday's other semifinal match in Winston-Salem. With the loss, Liberty (12-12), who shared the Big South regular-season crown with Charleston Southern and Winthrop, sees its 2016-17 season come to an end.

"I'm proud of how hard our girls battled today. They laid it on the line and put themselves in position to win the match," stated Liberty Women's Tennis Head Coach Jeff Maren. "Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce our way. It's the sad part of sports. But win or lose, we will continue to give God the glory. He is the reason we can play this game, and we'll be forever thankful for his leadership of our team."

The Bucs took the doubles point from the Lady Flames despite losing the first match to wrap up on court three. Liberty's senior tandem of Mariely Hassey and Emily Groeneveld knocked off Yana Morar and Kimberly Koerner on court three for the second time in eight days, this time winning, 6-2, for their fifth straight doubles win.

The turning point in that No. 3 match came with Liberty leading 3-2 but down, 40-0, in the next game. Hassey and Groeneveld rallied all the way back to break CSU's serve and take a 4-2 lead. The ensuing game also went to a deuce point, in which's Morar's shot sallied long, giving the Lady Flames a 5-2 edge. Hassey and Groeneveld closed out Morar and Koerner in the next game.

The No. 2 match featuring Liberty's Anna Dollar and Evangeline Crist and CSU's Mi'Kola Cooper and Valeria Koussenkova came down to the wire. The Lady Flames led, 3-2, early on before the Bucs won the next three to close in on victory. Dollar and Crist won the next game to make it 5-4, but CSU captured the 10th game of the set to win. Koussenkova's crosscourt backhanded shot from in front of the net gave her and Cooper a 6-4 triumph.

In the No. 1 match between Liberty's Rebekah Anderson/Eugenio Camacho and CSU's Sophie Cloessner/Nicolin Luecke, the Bucs' duo built a 5-2 lead before Anderson and Camacho closed the gap. Anderson served the Lady Flames back to 5-4, but CSU won the deciding point in the final game to capture the match, 6-4. Cloessner and Luecke's victory lifted the Bucs to a 1-0 advantage.

Needing to take four of six singles bouts to advance to the championship, Liberty fell into a 2-0 hole after Luecke ousted Anderson, 7-5, 6-0, in the No. 1 singles flight.

The Lady Flames responded from the early deficit with victories on courts four, six and three. Hassey notched her 20th singles victory of the year, upending Koerner in straight sets (6-3, 6-3) in the No. 4 match. The Liberty senior's victory trimmed the CSU lead in half, 2-1.

Hassey won at both doubles and singles, Saturday vs. Charleston Southern.

Camacho delivered a match-tying victory in the No. 6 singles match, taking down Morar, 6-4, 6-1. Dollar delivered on court three for Liberty, giving the Lady Flames their first lead of the day, 3-2, with a straight-sets, 6-3, 6-3, victory over Cooper.

Cloessner and Koussenkova's victories over Crist and Groeneveld allowed the Bucs to beat the Lady Flames and enact revenge from the two teams' meeting eight days ago. Liberty topped CSU, 4-3, last Friday at the Cook Tennis Center in Lynchburg to give the Bucs their only Big South loss of 2017 and snap a 14-match winning streak that CSU held up to that point.

2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship Preview

No. 4 seed Liberty will open the 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 5 seed Longwood on Saturday at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

The Lady Flames, who were selected to finish fourth in the conference's preseason poll, posted a 4-3 mark in Big South regular-season competition, while the Lancers finished fifth at 3-4, after winning their final two league contests.

The winner of Saturday's noon quarterfinal match will move on to face tournament host and No. 1 seed High Point (13-3) on May 5 at 4 p.m. The Panthers will host the semifinals and finals of the 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship on May 5 and 7.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 3 seed Winthrop (8-9) will host No. 6 seed Radford (6-10) on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C. The victor of that contest will move on to meet No. 2 seed Campbell (9-7) in a 7 p.m. semifinal game on May 5 at High Point.

The Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship title game will be held at noon on May 7 at Vert Stadium in High Point, N.C.

Series History vs. Longwood
The Lady Flames hold a 2-6 record all-time against the Lancers. Liberty upended Longwood, 18-8, in the two teams' regular-season meeting on April 5 in Farmville, Va.

In that contest, redshirt sophomore Paige Britton notched a career-high six goals, while Liberty distanced itself from Longwood with a 13-0 run spanning the tail end of the first half and most of the second half.

The Lady Flames and Lancers have never met in a postseason match.

Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship History
Liberty is 2-4 all-time in the Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship. Both of those victories came in 2015, when the Lady Flames advanced to the title game that year.

This year's No. 1 seed High Point won back-to-back championships in 2013 and 2014. Winthrop, the No. 3 seed, will be looking for its third straight title, after winning the conference championship in 2015 and 2016.

How to Follow the Lady Flames
The Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN) will be broadcasting Saturday afternoon's contest in Lynchburg on the Big South Network. Find the link for the live video stream on the lacrosse schedule/results panel on LibertyFlames.com.

Live stats for the contest will be available on the lacrosse schedule/results panel. Also, be sure to follow @LUGameday on Twitter for updates from the Liberty Lacrosse Field and for live in-game updates throughout the 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship.

If the Lady Flames advance past the quarterfinal round, their May 5 semifinal match will be streamed live on the Big South network. The championship match will be carried live on ESPN3 on May 7.

Big South Regular Season Recap
Big South Conference tames concluded regular season competition, last Saturday. Here's a look at the final regular season standings:

Team	Conference	Overall
High Point	7-0	13-3
Campbell	6-1	9-7
Winthrop	5-2	8-9
Liberty	4-3	5-12
Longwood	3-4	7-10
Radford	2-5	6-10
Presbyterian	1-6	2-14
Gardner-Webb	0-7	0-17

Liberty defeated Longwood, Radford, Presbyterian and Gardner-Webb during the regular season. The Lady Flames lost a 12-11 overtime contest against Campbell on April 8 and also fell to High Point and Winthrop in league play.

Liberty was well-represented in the Big South Weekly Awards. Kayla Foster was tabbed the Big South Women's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 14, while Hannah Quast collected Big South Freshman of the Week honors on that same day.

Sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Widrick was voted as the Big South Women's Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week on April 4, while midfielder Carly White was named the Big South Freshman of the Week on April 11. 
                               
Lady Flames News and Notes

• Liberty is No. 4 in the country in ground balls per game (23.47) and No. 5 in caused turnovers per game (12.29). The Lady Flames are first and second in the Big South in the two categories.
• Foster paces the squad in assists (31, No. 27 in nation) and points (57). She is tied for fourth in the conference in assists per game (1.82). Foster (108 career points) needs seven more points to move into fifth place all-time in school history for total points. The Sewickley, Pa., native is No. 1 in program history in career assists per game (1.71).
• The Lady Flames averaged 14.43 goals per game in seven Big South Conference regular season contests.
• Sophomore midfielder Brianna McCaffrey leads Liberty in goals (31), draw controls (75) and shots (103). McCaffrey is fifth in the conference and 37th nationally in draw controls per game (4.41) and third in the conference in shots per game (6.06).
• Liberty senior defender Victoria Tickle paces the team with 50 ground balls and is 29th in DI in ground balls per game (2.94) and third in the Big South. Tickle is seventh all-time in program history with 99 ground balls and seventh in caused turnovers (55)
• Sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Widrick places fourth in the Big South in goals-against average (13.03) and fourth in save percentage (.390). She has 98 saves this season and third all-time in Liberty lacrosse history with 190 saves.
• Liberty freshmen have performed well for the Lady Flames, this spring. Carly White paces the first-year group with 21 goals and 36 points, while Grace Fletcher (17) Hannah Quast (11), Jenna Joyal (8) and Nikki Stumpf (5) have all made their marks as first-year players.
• Redshirt sophomore Paige Britton and McCaffrey each have seven free-position goals this season, the sixth-most for any player in a single season in school history. Britton has notched all seven of her free-position talies in the last six games while scoring 15 total goals in that span.

Scouting Longwood
Three Longwood freshmen have eclipsed 40 points this year, led by Kaitlin Luccarelli's team-best 50 points (35 g, 15 a). Molly Barkman (25 g, 18 a, 43 pts) and Lexi Davis (10 g, 33 a, 43 pts) are the other two freshmen over 40 points, while sophomore Stephanie Roberts leads head coach Elaine Jones' squad with 40 goals, tied for sixth-most in the Big South. Davis is third in the Big South and 33rd in the country in assists per game (2.06)

The Lancers are most proficient in shot percentage (.496, No. 3 in nation), assists (7.35/game, No. 12 in nation) and ground balls (20.12/game, No. 28 in nation). Davis ranks No. 5 in the nation in shot percentage (.625).

Goalkeeper Imani West (6-8, 14.74 GAA, .411 SV Pct.) is 42nd in DI with 130 total saves and leads the squad with 42 ground balls.

How Liberty Stacks Up Against the Other Big South Teams in the Championship
No. 1 High Point
The Panthers enter the Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship riding the nation's second-longest winning streak, 13 games. High Point topped Liberty, 25-7, on April 15 in Lynchburg. The Panthers are fourth in the nation in caused turnovers per game (12.44), fifth in points (23.56), assists (8.06) and shots per game (35.75), sixth in scoring offense (15.50) 10th in scoring margin (5.75) and 12th in ground balls per game (21.63).

Key offensive players: Samantha Brown (48 g, 18 a, 66 pts), Brooke Stevens (34 g, 26 a, 60- pts), Darla Poulin (41 g, 17 a, 58 pts)
Key defensive players: Erica Perrotta (30 g, 22 a, 52 pts, 38 gb, 28 ct), Christina Del Sesto (34 gb, 25 ct)
Goalkeeper: Jill Rall (12-0, 8.09 GAA, 70 SV, .407 SV Pct.)
No. 2 Campbell
The Camels are known for their prowess in the draw circle and for limiting turnovers. Campbell wins 14.88 draw controls per game, good for 11th-best in the country. The Camels only commit 15.81 turnovers per game, which is 25th lowest in DI.

In the two teams' regular-season matchup, Liberty took an 11-10 lead on a White goal with 56.5 ticks remaining on April 8, before Campbell scored the equalizer with 27 seconds left and eventual overtime winner 2:07 into the extra session for a 12-11 victory.

Key offensive players: Kayla Reilly (26 g, 38 a, 64 pts), Melissa Placek (42 g, 11 a, 53 pts), Mackenzie Koeller (34 g, 9 a, 43 pts)
Key defensive players: Amanda Chasin (30 gb, 14 ct), Erin O'Hara (23 gb, 11 ct)
Goalkeeper: Merredith Bechler: (8-5, 12.31 GAA, 109 SV, .394 SV Pct.)
No. 3 Winthrop
Winthrop, the two-time defending Big South Champion, closed regular season play on a five-game winning streak, including victories over Gardner-Webb and Liberty, last week. The Eagles defeated the Lady Flames, 18-13, last Saturday at Eagle Stadium in Rock Hill, S.C.

The Eagles boast one of the top scorers in the nation in Nicole Beatson. Beatson is 17th in the country with 51 goals and seventh in the nation with 82 points while ranking No. 1 in free-position percentage (.826). Winthrop was 9-of-11 in free-position shots against Liberty in the regular-season meeting.

Key offensive players: Nicole Beatson (51 g, 31 a, 82 pts, 46 dc), Katherine Judge (40 g, 92 dc), Kristen Shriver (31 g, 28 a, 59 pts)
Key defensive players: Katherine Judge (45 gb, 33 ct) Chloe Wormsley (47 gb, 8 ct)
Goalkeeper: Chloe Wormsley (7-9, 12.18 GAA, 107 SV, .341 SV Pct.)

No. 6 Radford
The Lady Flames topped the Highlanders, 13-10, on Senior Night at the Liberty Lacrosse Field, April 19. On that night, Brown led Liberty with three goals, while senior Victoria Tickle anchored the defense with six caused turnovers and six ground balls.

The Highlanders are second in the Big South in both scoring offense (13.25) and ground balls per game (22.00) while ranking 29th and 9th in the nation in those categories.

Key offensive players: Emma Rogers (47 g, 18 a, 65 pts), Lindsay Carroll (23 g, 37 a, 60 pts), Callie Bonnel (34 g, 8 a, 42 pts)
Key defensive players: Shea Swingle (43 gb, 27 ct), Emily Kowalik (39 gb, 15 ct)
Goalkeepers: Jenny Davis (4-5, 13.08 GAA, 105 SV, .491 SV Pct.), Maddie Mashewske (2-5, 15.26 GAA, 67 SV, .364 SV Pct.)

Lady Flames Seeded Fourth for 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship

2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship Bracket

The Liberty women's lacrosse team was pegged as the No. 4 seed for the upcoming 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship.

Liberty is the No. 4 seed in the upcoming 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship.

The Lady Flames (5-12, 4-3 Big South), who were also picked to place fourth in the Big South Conference preseason poll, finished behind No. 1 seed High Point (13-3, 7-0 Big South), No. 2 Campbell (9-7, 6-1 Big South) and No. 3 Winthrop (8-9, 5-2 Big South).

The High Point Panthers, who went unbeaten in conference for their first regular-season crown since 2014, will serve as the host of the semifinals and finals on May 5 and 7.

No. 4 Liberty will begin its quest for a Big South title against No. 5 Longwood (7-10, 3-4 Big South) on Saturday at 12 p.m. at the Liberty Lacrosse Field. The Lady Flames bested the Lancers, 18-8, in their regular-season meeting on April 5 in Farmville, Va.

On that day, redshirt sophomore midfielder Paige Britton tallied a career-best six goals, while Liberty used a 13-0 run spanning the end of the first half and most of the second half en route to a dominating victory.

The winner of the contest between Liberty and Longwood will meet top-seeded High Point in the semifinals on May 5 in High Point, N.C.

No. 2 seed Campbell will await the winner of No. 3 Winthrop and No. 6 Radford (2-5 Big South), which will be played on April 30 at 1 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C. Presbyterian (1-6 Big South) and Gardner-Webb (0-7 Big South) did not qualify for postseason competition.

The Big South champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be streamed live on the Big South Network. The title game on Sunday, May 7 will be carried live on ESPN3 at noon.

Saturday, April 29 – Quarterfinals – at Lynchburg, Va.
Game 1:  No. 5 Longwood at No. 4 Liberty, 12 p.m. (TV: BSN)
Sunday, April 30 – Quarterfinals – at Rock Hill, S.C.
Game 2:  No. 6 Radford at No. 3 Winthrop, 1 p.m. (TV: BSN)
Friday, May 5 – Semifinals – at High Point, N.C.
Game 3:  Winner Game 1 at No. 1 High Point, 4 p.m. (TV: BSN)
Game 4:  Winner Game 2 vs. No. 2 Campbell, 7 p.m. (TV: BSN)
Sunday, May 7 – Championship – at High Point, N.C.
Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 12 p.m. (TV: ESPN3) 

Winthrop Holds Off Liberty for 18-13 Victory, Saturday

A late comeback attempt from Liberty came up short, as the Lady Flames fell, 18-13, to the Winthrop Eagles in their regular-season finale at Eagle Field on Saturday afternoon.

Liberty trailed Winthrop, 17-10, with 12:16 left before scoring three goals to draw within four (17-13). Lady Flames attacker Kayla Foster's shot at the 1:51 mark clanged off the crossbar, thwarting Liberty's final come-from-behind efforts. Winthrop Nicole Beaton's fifth goal of the day and 51st of the year sealed the win for the Eagles.

Beatson's five markers paced the Eagles, while Katherine Judge and Katie Clark scored four times each. Liberty was led by freshman Carly White, who matched a career high with four goals. The Lady Flames were unable to contain Eagles' free-position attempts, as the hosts converted 9-of-11 free-position shots in the contest.

White matched a career high with four goals on Saturday at Winthrop.

Winthrop (8-9) closes Big South Conference competition at 5-2 and has earned the No. 3 seed for the 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship, while Liberty (5-12) finishes 4-3 in league play and will be the No. 4 seed for the conference tournament.

The Eagles jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first 15:38 of Saturday's contest and never looked back. In those first 15-plus minutes, Winthrop scored three times on free-position attempts, including two from Ellie Marindin. Marindin's first marker of the day provided the home side a 1-0 lead at the 24:58 mark. Judge's second tally of the day on a free-position strike pushed the lead to 6-1.

Liberty answered with a quick spurt, scoring three goals in just 15 seconds. White's first of the day brought the score to 6-2. Following a Brianna McCaffrey draw control, she found Kayla Foster for her first goal of the day to bring it to within three (6-3) with 13:01 left in the opening half.

McCaffrey won the ensuing draw control and snapped a pass to Foster, who fed White. White ripped a shot in the top right corner for her second tally of the day, closing the gap to two, 6-4, with 12:54 on the first half clock.

But Winthrop responded with another 6-1 run of its own to take a commanding 12-5 lead with 2:18 to go in the half. During that run, Clark scored three of her goals.

The Lady Flames closed the half with two goals to draw within five, 12-7. Senior Courtney Brown shook off a defender with a nifty spin move and beat Eagles goalkeeper Chloe Wormsley for her 15th of the season with 43.4 seconds remaining in the half. Liberty scored in the half's final 10 seconds, as Foster found the back of the net for her second of the afternoon.

The Lady Flames were plagued by yellow cards and fouls throughout the day. Liberty picked up four of its five yellow cards in the first half and also committed 28 of its 45 fouls in the opening stanza.
White opened the scoring for Liberty in the second half, scoring with 25:36 left to cut the deficit to 12-8. However, Winthrop answered the bell again with a 5-2 run this time to lead, 17-10, with 12:16 to go. Big South leading goal scorer Nicole Beatson (51 goals) recorded three goals during the stretch, while Judge and Yeager found the back of the net as well.

Liberty's goals during that stretch came from White (fourth of the day, free-position) and Nikki Stumpf, her second of the day. Stumpf snagged a high pass from White and sent a left-handed shot past Wormsley for the fifth goal of her freshman campaign.

The Lady Flames' final three markers came from the sticks of McCaffrey (31st of year), Grace Fletcher and Foster. Fletcher's was a quick flick one-timer from inside the eight-meter arc, set up by a pass from Paige Britton. Foster's third tally of the day came with 4:10 left in the match and made the score 17-13 in favor of Winthrop before Beatson's final goal of the afternoon settled the final outcome.

Winthrop outshot Liberty, 42-26, and also collected 27 ground balls, compared to just 11 for Liberty. The Eagles held a slight edge in draw controls, 17-16, including a game-high 11 from Judge. McCaffrey paced Liberty with five.

Liberty will begin 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship play next Saturday, April 29 with a quarterfinal match against No. 5 seed Longwood (7-10, 3-4 Big South) at noon at the Liberty Lacrosse Field. The Lady Flames defeated the Lancers, 18-8, on April 5 in Farmville, Va.

Third Place on the Line in Saturday's Contest Between Liberty and Winthrop

Liberty women's lacrosse will travel to Winthrop for its regular-season finale on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Eagle Field in Rock Hill, S.C.

Third place in the conference will be on the line. Liberty (5-11, 4-2 Big South) is tied for third in the Big South standings with Winthrop (7-9, 4-2 Big South). The winner of Saturday's contest will earn the No. 3 seed for the 2017 Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship, while the loser will finish in the No. 4 slot.

Liberty will face Winthrop at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Rock Hill, S.C.

The Lady Flames defeated Radford, 13-10, on Senior Night, Wednesday evening. Winthrop bested Gardner-Webb, 23-2, at home on Wednesday afternoon.

Series History
The Eagles have taken four of the five all-time meetings from the Lady Flames. Winthrop claimed a 17-6 victory over Liberty the last time the two schools met on March 30, 2016 in Lynchburg.

How to Follow the Lady Flames
Live stats for the contest, courtesy of Winthrop Athletics, will be available on the lacrosse schedule/results panel on LibertyFlames.com. Also, be sure to follow @LUGameday on Twitter for updates from Eagle Field.

Senior Night Recap
The Liberty lacrosse program honored its seven seniors prior to the start of Wednesday night's contest against Radford. The senior class helped deliver a 13-10 Senior Night victory for the Lady Flames over the Highlanders.

Senior defenders Victoria Tickle (6 ct, 6 gb) and Melanie Via (2 ct, 4 gb) led the defensive unit to 25 caused turnovers and 40 ground balls, which were both the second-most in a single game in Liberty lacrosse history. Senior Courtney Brown scored three first-half goals, including the final two goals of the first half to put the Lady Flames ahead, 7-4, at intermission.

Liberty led 10-9 with 14:52 remaining before scoring three goals, two from Brianna McCaffrey, and one from Carly White, to put the game out of reach.

Other seniors and their statistics:
Paige Britton: 1 goal, 3 ground balls, 1 draw control
Ashlyn Altieri: 1 ground ball, 1 caused turnover
Eden Bayuk: 1 ground ball, 1 caused turnover
Casey Thate: 2 ground balls

2017 Big South Update
Here's a look at the current conference standings:

Team	Conference	Overall
High Point	6-0	12-3
Campbell	5-1	8-7
Winthrop	4-2	7-9
Liberty	4-2	5-11
Longwood	2-4	6-10
Radford	2-4	6-9
Presbyterian	1-5	2-13
Gardner-Webb	0-6	0-16

Lady Flames News and Notes

• Liberty places No. 4 in the country in ground balls per game (24.25) and No. 4 in caused turnovers per game (12.50). The Lady Flames are first in the conference in both categories. The Liberty defense recorded 25 caused turnovers and 40 ground balls on Wednesday against Radford. Both marks are the second highest totals in a game in program history.
• Last Saturday vs. High Point, sophomore attacker Kayla Foster joined the 100-point club, needing just 33 career games to do so. Foster became the sixth Lady Flame in program history to reach 100 points. Foster is currently sixth in program history with 104 points.
• Foster paces the squad in assists (30, No. 25 in nation) and points (53). Her eight-assist, three-goal, 11-point performance last Wednesday at Gardner-Webb set new Liberty program records for both assists and points.
• The Lady Flames are averaging 14.67 goals per game in six Big South Conference contests.
• Sophomore midfielder Brianna McCaffrey leads Liberty in goals (30), draw controls (70) and shots (99). McCaffrey is fifth in the league and 39th nationally in draw controls per game (4.38) and third in the conference in shots per game (6.19).
• Liberty senior defender Victoria Tickle paces the team with 49 ground balls and is 26th in DI in ground balls per game (3.06) and third in the Big South. Tickle is seventh all-time in program history with 98 ground balls and eighth all-time in caused turnovers (53). She had a career game on Wednesday vs. Radford, compiling six caused turnovers, second-most in a game in Lady Flames history, and six caused turnovers.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Widrick places third in the Big South in goals-against average (12.54) and fourth in save percentage (.397). She was selected as the Big South Defensive Player of the Week on April 4.
• Liberty freshmen have stepped up, this season. Grace Fletcher and Carly White pace the first-year group with 17 goals apiece, while Hannah Quast (11), Jenna Joyal (8) and Nikki Stumpf (3) have all made their marks as first-year players.
• Liberty attempted 47 shots on Wednesday vs. Radford, the third-most in any game in school history. The Lady Flames are 5-3 this year when they outshoot their opponents.
• White has recorded 15 goals over the past seven matches, while Paige Britton has notched 16 goals during the last six contests.

Scouting Winthrop
Three-time Big South Women's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week Nicole Beatson (46 g, 28 a) leads the conference with 74 points in 16 games (4.62/game). Beatson is seventh in the nation in points and ranks first in DI in free position percentage (.789). Katherine Judge (36 g), Katie Clark (31 g, 8 a) and Kristen Shriver (30 g, 24 a) all have 30 or more goals for the Eagles.

Judge has accounted for 81 draw controls, good for third-best in the Big South and 26th in the country in draw controls per game (5.06). She also checks in at No. 29 in the country in caused turnovers per game (1.94), pacing the squad with 31.

Goalkeeper Chloe Wormsley leads the squad with 44 ground balls (2.81/game, No. 42 in the nation). Wormsley has played every minute in net for Winthrop, going 7-9 with a 12.12 goals-against average, a .342 save percentage and 101 saves.

The Eagles won the Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship in both 2015 and 2016. Winthrop is led by first-year head coach Julika Blankenship.

Liberty Defeats Radford, 13-10, on Senior Night

The Liberty lacrosse team defeated visiting Radford, 13-10, in Big South play, Wednesday evening at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

With the victory, the Lady Flames (5-11, 4-2 Big South) remain tied with Winthrop (7-9, 4-2 Big South) for third place in the conference, with a big showdown against the Eagles looming on Saturday in Rock Hill, S.C. Radford (6-9, 2-4 Big South) falls to 0-2 all-time against Liberty.

Prior to the contest, the team honored its seven seniors (Ashlyn Altieri, Eden Bayuk, Paige Britton, Courtney Brown, Casey Thate, Victoria Tickle and Melanie Via), and several of them played crucial roles in the win.

Senior Courtney Brown scored three first-half goals for the home side, while defenders Victoria Tickle, Melanie Via and Casey Thate were part of a stout defensive unit that caused 25 turnovers and collected 40 ground balls. Both marks are the second-most in a contest in program history.

Tickle put together the best game of her career with six caused turnovers and six ground balls. Her six forced turnovers is tied for the second-most by a Lady Flame in a single contest in school history. Meanwhile, Via notched four ground balls and two caused turnovers and Thate corralled a pair of ground balls.

Liberty also managed to outshoot Radford, 47-27. The 47 shots by the Lady Flames are the third-highest total in Liberty lacrosse history. Radford won the battle for draw controls, 15-10.

The Lady Flames scored the first four tallies of the night and never trailed in the contest. Kayla Foster's only goal of the evening came at the 22:58 mark in the first half on a feed from Grace Fletcher, putting the host Lady Flames on top, 1-0. Foster, the team's points leader, added three assists to elevate her point total to 53 in 16 games.

Liberty's next two markers came from Paige Britton and Kaitlyn Cassidy-Fischetti on free-position shots. Just 30 seconds after Cassidy-Fischetti's goal, freshman Jenna Joyal (1 g, 3 a) found a cutting Brown, who buried a left-handed shot into the right side of the net to give Liberty a 4-0 lead with 13:40 left in the opening half.

Over the next 9:21, Radford scored four goals to even the contest, 4-4, with 3:32 left in the half. Adrian Rius (5 g, 1 a, 9 dc) accounted for two of the markers, while Juliette Ruland and Emma Rogers found the back of the frame as well.

But Liberty closed the opening stanza on a 3-0 run, fueled by a goal from Joyal and pair of tallies from Brown. Joyal's goal, a lefty strike from inside the eight-meter arc, was her eighth of 2017. Brown's third goal of the match and 14th of her senior campaign was deflected by Highlanders netminder Jenny Davis before slowly trickling in the goal with 1.2 seconds left. The goal staked the Lady Flames to a 7-4 advantage at intermission.

Following a successful clear attempt early in the second half, Brianna McCaffrey entered the Highlanders' zone and ripped a left-handed shot into the top left corner for her first goal of the night just 53 seconds into the second half, providing Liberty an 8-4 lead.

Goals from Ruland and Amanda Paino brought RU back within two (8-6) with 20:48 left before freshmen Carly White and Fletcher scored goals 22 seconds apart. Fletcher's lone goal on the evening, her 16th of the year, made it 10-6 Liberty with 20:02 remaining.

The Highlanders answered with a 3-0 run of their own over the next 2:53, capped off by back-to-back tallies off the stick of Rius. Her fourth of the evening closed the gap to 10-9 with 14:52 left and caused the Lady Flames to take a timeout to regroup.

Following the timeout, Liberty Lacrosse Head Coach Kelly Nangle elected to make a switch in goal. Aubrie Tarris replaced Katherine Widrick (seven saves) in net.

The Lady Flames' offense once again came to life in a crucial stretch, as leading scorer McCaffrey notched back-to-back goals to push the lead to three (12-9) with 8:52 on the clock. McCaffrey's second marker of the evening was a solo effort in which she sliced through the Radford defense and sent a shot into the right side of the goal. Her third and final tally of the night (30th of the year) was set up by Joyal's third assist of the evening.

In the waning minutes, Liberty worked the clock and found the back of the goal one more time. White scored her second of the night and 17th of the season with 3:19 remaining, pushing the Lady Flames' lead to 13-9.

Rius' fifth and final goal of the evening with 14 seconds left in the match settled the final score at 13-10.

Widrick (4-6) was credited with the fourth win of her sophomore campaign, while Tarris made two stops in the final 14:52 of the game. Davis (4-4) was saddled with the loss despite making 18 saves in net.

"It's always great to get a win on Senior Day and send the seniors out on a high note. The girls battled tonight and fought for the win. We got some great experience tonight in pulling out a win in a close game," Nangle stated. "We've been talking a lot about the gaps and being able to gain momentum from them, and I think we did that tonight when we needed it most. I'm proud of them for finding a way. We are excited to get back to work tomorrow to prepare for Winthrop on Saturday."

Liberty will face Winthrop on Saturday afternoon in its regular-season finale, with third place in the Big South on the line. The contest will begin at 1 p.m. at Eagle Field in Rock Hill, S.C.

Senior Reflections
"To Coach [Nangle}, thank you for the privilege and opportunity. To my dad, mom, and Jordan, thank you for always believing in me. To the freshmen class, you all are truly something special."
Eden Bayuk

"I want to thank the coaches and Joey [Lyons] for everything, and for my team. I'm thankful that the Lord put me on this team. It has honestly been the best team I've gotten to be a part of and I love everyone so much."
Paige Britton

"I would like to thank God for the opportunity to play the sport I love in college and use it as a platform for His glory. I would like to thank my team this year for their love and acceptance and my coaches for giving me the best senior year I could ever imagine. I would like to thank Adam for being my family at games and for making my boat better. I would especially like to thank my dad for being my ultimate supporter and for always believing in me as I pursue my dreams. You are simply the best!"
Courtney Brown

"I would like to thank my family for their encouragement, support and love over the years. I would also like to thank the coaches for allowing me the opportunity to play for Liberty, as well as well as all of our support staff. I would especially like to thank my teammates, who have brought so much joy, laughter and unforgettable memories in my life."
Casey Thate

"I want to thank my family, teammates, coaches and support staff who have made these past four years here at Liberty unforgettable. I am truly blessed to have gained amazing sisters each year that I was here. I will forever cherish the growth and memories spent each day with all of you."
Victoria Tickle

"Thank you to my family, teammates and coaches for the best five years."
Melanie Via

Liberty Lacrosse Prepared for Senior Night Showdown Against Radford

The Liberty Lady Flames lacrosse team will host Radford for a Big South contest, Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

Wednesday evening is Senior Night for the Liberty lacrosse program. Prior to the start of the game, the team will take time to honor its seven seniors – Ashlyn Altieri, Eden Bayuk, Paige Britton, Courtney Brown, Casey Thate, Victoria Tickle and Melanie Via.

The Liberty lacrosse program will honor its seniors prior to Wednesday evening's final home regular season contest against Radford.

Liberty (4-11) is tied for third in the Big South standings with Winthrop at 3-2, while Radford (6-8) stands at fifth in the conference at 2-3. The Lady Flames are coming off a home setback to High Point (11-3, 5-0), Saturday afternoon, while Radford earned a road win at Presbyterian (2-12, 1-4) on Saturday.

Series History
The Lady Flames and Highlanders met for the first time in 2016, as Radford began NCAA DI competition then. Liberty prevailed, 20-4, in the first-ever meeting on April 20, 2016 in Radford, Va.

How to Follow the Lady Flames
The Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN) will be carrying Wednesday evening's contest on the Big South Network. Find the link for the live video stream on the lacrosse schedule/results panel on LibertyFlames.com.

Live stats for the contest will also be accessible on the lacrosse schedule/results panel. Also, be sure to follow @LUGameday on Twitter for updates from the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

2017 Big South Update
Here's a look at the current conference standings:

Team	Conference	Overall
High Point	5-0	11-3
Campbell	5-0	8-6
Winthrop	3-2	6-9
Liberty	3-2	4-11
Radford	2-3	6-8
Longwood	1-4	5-10
Presbyterian	1-4	2-12
Gardner-Webb	0-5	0-15

                                             
Lady Flames News and Notes

• With her second goal against High Point on Saturday, sophomore attacker Kayla Foster joined the 100-point club, needing just 33 career games to do so. Foster became the sixth Lady Flame in program history to reach 100 points.
• Liberty is fifth in the country in ground balls per game (23.14) and No. 14 in the country in caused turnovers per game (11.43). The Lady Flames are first and second in the Big South, respectively, in ground balls per game and turnovers per game.
• Foster paces the squad in assists (27, No. 29 in nation) and points (49). Her eight-assist, three-goal, 11-point performance last Wednesday at Gardner-Webb set new Liberty program records for both assists and points.
• The Lady Flames are averaging 15 goals per game through five Big South Conference contests.
• Sophomore midfielder Brianna McCaffrey leads Liberty in goals (27), draw controls (68) and shots (85). McCaffrey is fourth in the Big South and 34th nationally in draw controls per game (4.53) and third in the conference in shots per game (5.67).
• Liberty senior defender Victoria Tickle paces the team with 43 ground balls and is 38th in DI in ground balls per game (2.87) and tied for third in the Big South. Tickle is seventh all-time in program history with 92 ground balls and eighth all-time in caused turnovers (47).
• Sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Widrick places third in the Big South in goals-against average (12.59) and fourth in save percentage (.394). She was selected as the Big South Defensive Player of the Week on April 4.
• Liberty's freshmen have accounted for 51 of the 148 goals (34.5 percent) scored by the Lady Flames, this season. Grace Fletcher and Carly White pace the first-year group with 15 goals apiece, Hannah Quast (11), Jenna Joyal (7) and Nikki Stumpf (3).
• Liberty attempted 52 shots, last Wednesday at GWU, the most in any game in school history. The Lady Flames are 4-3 this year when they outshoot their opponents.
• Over the last nine contests, Liberty is averaging 12.33 goals per contest. The Lady Flames averaged just 6.50 goals per game during their first six contests. White has recorded 13 goals over the past six matches, while Paige Britton has notched 15 goals during the last five games.

Scouting Radford
The Highlanders feature two players who have been dominant on the offensive end – sophomore Emma Rogers and freshman Lindsey Carroll. Rogers (44 g, 16 a, 60 pts) is first in the Big South and 24th nationally in goals per game (3.14) and second in the league and 26th nationally in points per game (4.29). Carroll (21 g, 34 a, 55 pts) places first in the conference and seventh in the country in assists while standing third in the conference and 39th nationally in points.

Radford's second-leading scorer, sophomore Adrian Rius, is the best in the Big South in draw controls per game (5.71) and 10th in DI in that category. Radford freshman defender Shea Swingle leads the defensive unit with 39 ground balls (2.79/game, No. 45 in nation) and caused turnovers (22).

Highlanders' second-year head coach Haley Marvine plays two keepers in goal, freshmen Jenny Davis and Maddie Mashewske. Davis (4-3, 13.42 GAA, 72 SV in 379:57) has been the more successful netminder than Mashewske (2-5, 15.26 GAA, 67 SV in 460:03) in less time between the pipes.

Panthers' Offense Powers Past Lady Flames on Saturday

The High Point Panthers upended the Liberty Lady Flames, 25-7, on Saturday afternoon at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

High Point (11-3) improves to 5-0 in Big South competition and set a school record with its 11th straight win, while Liberty (4-11) falls to 3-2 in conference and into a tie for third in the Big South with Winthrop (6-9, 3-2).

The Panthers received a nine-point (5 g, 4 a) effort from Samantha Brown and six goals from Darla Poulin in the victory. Erica Perrotta added and Emory Gaeng each tallied three-goals, and three-assists efforts. For Liberty, Carly White and Kayla Foster paced the Lady Flames with two goals apiece, while Paige Britton had a one-goal, two-assist performance.

High Point goalkeeper Jill Rall improved to 10-0 in 2017 with a five-save effort, while Liberty netminder fell to 3-6, as she surrendered 14 goals against seven saves in the 30 minutes of action.
The Panthers, who came in leading the Big South in goals per game, wasted no time on the attack, scoring three times (Gaeng, Poulin and Perrotta) in the game's first 3:54 to take a 3-0 lead and cause Liberty to take a timeout to regroup.

High Point's Ashley Britton extended the visitors' advantage to 4-0 before the Lady Flames' White scored on a free-position attempt, her 14th goal of the year, trimming the deficit to 4-1 with 23:08 on the clock.

Just 46 seconds later, Erin Ilchuk scored to provide the Panthers a 5-1 edge. But Liberty responded, as Paige Britton hounded Casey Kotchenreuter in the High Point zone, forcing a turnover. The Liberty redshirt sophomore scooped up the ground ball and fed an open Brianna McCaffrey, who ripped a shot past Rall for her 27th goal of the season. McCaffrey's marker brought the home side within three (5-2) with 19:59 remaining in the opening stanza but they would get no closer the remainder of the way.

A trio of tallies by Perrotta, Williams and Brown in a stretch of 3:23 pushed the Panthers' lead up to six (8-2) with 16:22 left in the first period.

On the Lady Flames' next possession, the home side found itself with a transition opportunity. Freshman Jenna Joyal sped up the left side of the field and found Paige Britton. As that was happening, Rall exited the visitors' net to make a play on Britton. But Britton made a terrific backhanded snag and put a shot into an open net. Her 19th goal of the season and 15th in the last five games narrowed the deficit to 8-3 with 15:32 left.

The Panthers closed the half on a 7-2 run, including two goals in the final 19 seconds, to go into intermission up, 14-5. During that stretch, Poulin scored her 34th, 35th and 36th goals of the season. Liberty received a pair of markers from Foster and White (free-position) in the second part of the opening frame.

High Point broke the match open with a 6-0 run out of the gates in the second half. Brown scored three times in the stretch, while Poulin put two balls in the back of the net and Allie Little scored as well. Poulin's sixth goal of the day staked the Panthers to a 20-5 advantage over the Lady Flames with 19:04 remaining.

In the closing minutes, Liberty received goals from Grace Fletcher, the 15th of her freshman campaign and 13th in her last six games, and Foster, her 22nd. Fletcher's goal was set up on a free-position attempt from Paige Britton. Britton sent a ball across the eight-meter arc to Fletcher and the freshman beat Rall for the goal.

High Point scored five times over the final 19:04 to settle the final score at 25-7. The Panthers' defense forced the Lady Flames into a season-high 38 turnovers. Christina Del Sesto and Olivia Nostrant shared top honors with four caused turnovers, while Liberty senior Melanie Via notched three caused turnovers in the match.

High Point held a slight edge over Liberty in draw controls (18-16) but dominated in shots (38-15). The Lady Flames' McCaffrey posted a game-high seven draws won and has 17 over her last two contests.

The Lady Flames will be back in action on Wednesday at home against Radford (6-8, 2-3 Big South). Wednesday evening is Senior Night for the Liberty lacrosse program, where the team will honor its seniors prior to the 6 p.m. contest against the Highlanders at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

Liberty and High Point Set for Big South Lacrosse Battle, Saturday

Liberty and High Point, two of the top teams in the Big South, will meet for a 2 p.m. contest, Saturday, at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

 Liberty brings a 4-10 overall mark and 3-1 Big South record into Saturday, while High Point (10-3, 4-0 Big South) shares first place in the conference with Campbell (7-6, 4-0 Big South).

The Lady Flames are coming off a 21-7 victory at Gardner-Webb, Wednesday afternoon. High Point collected its 10th consecutive win with a 19-5 triumph at Radford, Wednesday.

Liberty (4-10, 3-1 BSC) will take on High Point (10-3, 4-0 BSC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Lynchburg.

Series History
Liberty is 1-5 in the all-time series against High Point, with its only win in the series coming on April 17, 2015. On that day, the host Lady Flames defeated High Point, 16-15, in overtime in Lynchburg.

How to Follow the Lady Flames
The Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN) will be broadcasting Saturday's game on the Big South Network. Find the link for the live video stream on the lacrosse schedule/results panel on LibertyFlames.com

Live stats for the contest will also be accessible on the lacrosse schedule/results panel. Also, be sure to follow @LUGameday on Twitter for live in-game updates from the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

2017 Big South Update
Liberty is currently in third place in the Big South with a 3-1 record, trailing only Campbell (4-0) and Saturday's opponent, High Point (4-0) Following Saturday afternoon's contest, the Lady Flames will face Radford on Wednesday at 6 p.m. for Senior Night in Lynchburg.

Here's a look at the current conference standings:

Team	Conference	Overall
Campbell	4-0	7-6
High Point	4-0	10-3
Liberty	3-1	4-10
Winthrop	2-2	5-9
Longwood	1-3	3-9
Presbyterian	1-3	2-10
Radford	1-3	5-8
Gardner-Webb	0-4	0-14

Foster Breaks Pair of Program Records
Kayla Foster had the breakout game of her sophomore campaign, tallying a program-record eight assists and school record 11 points, Wednesday in a 21-7 win at Gardner-Webb.

Foster had four helpers in each half, with the final one setting up sophomore Brittany Tickle's first career goal with 2:15 remaining. Her eight assists shattered the previous Lady Flames record set by Sam Struss at Delaware State on March 1, 2013.

The Sewickley, Pa., native eclipsed the previous Liberty record for points (9), set by two different players (Morgan Becker twice, Karis Walborn).

Foster is up to a team-best 47 points (20 g, 27 a) in 14 games, this season. Her career day at GWU vaulted her from No. 50 in DI lacrosse in assists all the way up to No. 21, while she checks in at No. 32 in the nation in assists per game (1.93). Foster is the program leader in career assists per game (1.75) and is four assists from matching the program record. She has 56 career assists in less than two full seasons, while the school record for career assists is 60.

White Recognized as BSC Freshman of the Week
Lady Flames freshman midfielder Carly White was tabbed the Big South Women's Lacrosse Freshman of the Week by the league office, Tuesday.

White tallied five goals, three assists, eight points, seven ground balls, four draw controls and four caused turnovers in two Big South games, last week. She scored a career-best four goals while also adding an assists and a career-high five ground balls at home versus Campbell, last Saturday.

The Marietta, Ga., native is off to another strong start this week, as she scored two goals and added three draw controls, Wednesday at Gardner-Webb.

Lady Flames News and Notes

• After scooping up a season-high 32 ground balls on Wednesday at Gardner-Webb, Liberty is now No. 5 in the nation in ground balls per game (23.14) and No. 14 in the country in caused turnovers per game (11.43). The Lady Flames are first in the Big South in both categories.
• The Lady Flames are averaging 17 goals per game through four Big South Conference contests.
• Sophomore midfielder Brianna McCaffrey leads Liberty in goals (27), draw controls (61) and shots (78). McCaffrey is fifth in the Big South and 39th nationally in draw controls per game (4.36) and fourth in the conference in shots per game (5.57). The Boca Raton, Fla., native won 10 draw controls at Gardner-Webb, the third most in a single contest in Liberty lacrosse history.
• McCaffrey has tallied seven free-position goals in 2017, which ranks sixth-most in a single season in Lady Flames lacrosse history. Former Liberty standout Sam Struss holds the record with 13 in 2014. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Paige Britton has five free-position tallies in the three matches.
• Liberty senior defender Victoria Tickle paces the team with 41 ground balls and is 36th in DI in ground balls per game (2.93) and fourth in the Big South. Tickle is eighth all-time in program history with 90 ground balls.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Widrick is second in the Big South in goals-against average (11.81) and third in save percentage (.401). She was selected as the Big South Defensive Player of the Week on April 4.
• Senior midfielder Courtney Brown notched a career-high four goals in Wednesday's victory at Gardner-Webb. The senior has 38 goals and 18 assists (56 points) in 69 career contests.
• Liberty's freshmen have accounted for 48 of the 141 goals (34.1 percent) scored by the Lady Flames, this season. Grace Fletcher leads the first-year group with 14 goals, followed by Carly White (13), Hannah Quast (11), Jenna Joyal (7) and Nikki Stumpf (3).
• Sophomore attacker Brittany Tickle the first two goals of her career at Gardner-Webb, Wednesday. Both markers for the Fairfax, Va., native came in the final 2:15 of the contest.
• Liberty attempted 52 shots on Wednesday at GWU, the most in any game in school history. The team also won 22 draw controls, tied for the third-most in a single match in Liberty lacrosse history.
• Over the last eight games, Liberty is averaging 12.75 goals per contest. The Lady Flames averaged just 6.50 goals per game during their first six contests.

Scouting High Point
The Panthers, who won Big South championships in 2013 and 2014 and finished runner-up to Winthrop in 2016, enter Saturday's match with 10 straight wins, matching a school record for longest win streak.

Junior attacker Brooke Stevens paces the High Point offense with 28 goals, a team-best 22 assists and team-high 50 points. Senior attacker Samantha Brown is the team's top goal scorer with 34. The Panthers' offense is ninth in the nation in shots per game (34.23), 10th in assists per game (7.08) and 16th in points per game (21.31) while leading the Big South in all three categories.

On the defensive end, High Point stands at second in the Big South in caused turnovers per game (11.31). Junior midfielder Erica Perrotta is first on the team in both caused turnovers (21) and ground balls (33). Freshman goalkeeper Jill Rall (9-0, 8.75 GAA, 60 SV) places No. 13 in the nation in goals-against average (GAA) for head coach Lyndsey Boswell's squad.

Foster Breaks 2 Program Records, Liberty Defeats Gardner-Webb, 21-7

Liberty sophomore attacker Kayla Foster broke the school record for assists and points, helping guide a powerful Lady Flames offensive attack to a 21-7 victory over host Gardner-Webb, Wednesday at Spangler Stadium.

Foster notched three goals, tallied a program-record eight assists and recorded 11 points, the most by any Liberty player in a game in program history. Foster's eighth helper came with 2:15 to play, setting up Brittany Tickle's first career goal.

Foster's eight assists broke the previous record set by Sam Struss at Delaware State (March 1, 2013). The previous program record for points was nine, set by two different Lady Flames (Morgan Becker twice, Karis Walborn).

Foster broke Liberty lacrosse records for both assists (8) and points (11) in Wednesday's win at Gardner-Webb.

"We did a really good job of playing unselfishly. Everybody was going full-speed through their cuts, so it made it that much easier to find them in open space. It was just an all-around team effort," Foster said.

With the win, Liberty improves to 4-10 overall and 3-1 in the Big South. The Lady Flames remain in third place in the conference after both Campbell (4-0) and High Point (4-0) were victorious on Wednesday as well. Gardner-Webb drops to 0-14 overall and 0-4 in the Big South.

Aside from Foster's career day, Liberty's offense was on full display on Wednesday, scoring a season-best 21 times. Ten different players entered the scoring column, led by a career-high four markers from senior Courtney Brown and a hat trick from Paige Britton. Additionally, Liberty received two-goal efforts from a trio of freshmen – Grace Fletcher, Jenna Joyal and Carly White – and a pair of goals from Brittany Tickle. Eden Bayuk scored her first of the season, while Brianna McCaffrey and Kaitlyn Cassidy-Fischetti tallied goals in the contest.

The Lady Flames also set a program record with 52 shots in the contest, compared to 22 for Gardner-Webb. They won 22 draw controls (tied-third in school history) to just seven for the Runnin' Bulldogs.

McCaffrey won a game-high 10 draw controls, the third-most in a single game in Liberty lacrosse history. Liberty netminder Katherine Widrick (3-5) made four saves in 33:20 of action to earn the victory, while fellow sophomore goalkeeper Aubrie Tarris collected three saves in the final 26:40.

GWU's Katie Sylvester (0-5) was credited with the loss for Gardner-Webb, as she made 15 saves while yielding 15 goals.

"Midweek games on the rough are always tough. I'm proud of how the girls came out and how we executed when we need to," stated Liberty Lacrosse Head Coach Kelly Nangle. "We need to clean up some of the little things this week as we prepare for a big game against High Point on Saturday. It was a complete team win, as we got contributions from everyone. We're building and growing every day."

Liberty raced out to a 9-0 advantage in the first 22:29 of play. Fletcher put the visiting Lady Flames on the board, following a beautiful feed from Brown to Fletcher in the middle of the eight-meter arc. The visitors' next two markers came from the stick of Brown, who was found by Foster for her first two assists of the match.

Goals from McCaffrey, Brown and Foster stretched the lead to 6-0 with 12:36 left in the opening half. Foster's goal came following a Paige Britton shot. Foster corralled the loose ball and dropped a shot through the legs of Runnin' Bulldogs' goalie Sylvester.

Paige Britton's free-position tally at the 7:48 mark made it 7-0, before Foster facilitated the next two goals (Britton and White) to push the lead to 9-0 with 7:31 left on the first half clock.

Gardner-Webb closed the opening stanza on a 3-0 run, aided by goals from Lindsey Lippert, Amanda Steinmuller and Emma Rose. Rose's marker with 42 seconds to play sent the Runnin' Bulldogs into intermission trailing the Lady Flames, 9-3.

Coming out of the break, GWU's Ashley Fisch sprung a breakaway chance and found Janice Donaldson in front of the net. Donaldson's second score of 2017 cut the Liberty lead to 9-4 with 29:04 remaining.

From that point on, the Liberty offense controlled play during the remaining minutes and outscored Gardner-Webb, 12-3, the rest of the way.

After recording four assists in the opening stanza, Foster set up three of the first four Lady Flames goals in the second period. Foster's feed to Joyal produced a goal from the Liberty freshman and Foster's seventh of the game, tying a program mark and putting Liberty on top, 14-5, with 19:54 left.

Just 1:21 later, Joyal assisted on Cassidy-Fischetti fourth goal of the year, giving Liberty its first 10-goal advantage (15-5) with 18:33 to go in the contest.

The Lady Flames reeled off three of the next four goals (White, Foster, Bayuk), extending their lead to 18-6. Bayuk's free-position goal created a 12-goal margin with 9:48 remaining.

After Steinmuller's second of the day with 6:19 remaining squelched the rally, Joyal's seventh goal of 2017 and a pair of goals from Brittany Tickle settled the final score at 21-7.

Liberty junior defender Lindsey McNamara paced the squad with three caused turnovers, while the Runnin' Bulldogs Abby Hanscom recorded a game-high four. McCaffrey led Liberty, who scooped up a season-high 32 ground balls, with four ground balls, while a host of Lady Flames had three ground balls, including: Melanie Via, Fletcher, Victoria Tickle, Foster and McNamara.

The Liberty Lady Flames will welcome first-place High Point (10-3, 4-0 Big South) to Lynchburg on Saturday. The contest is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

Lady Flames, Runnin' Bulldogs to Meet for Wednesday BSC Lacrosse Contest

Liberty lacrosse will travel to Boiling Springs, N.C., for a Wednesday Big South showdown at Gardner-Webb. The contest will begin at 4 p.m. at Spangler Stadium.

The Lady Flames (3-10), who stand in third place in the conference standings at 2-1, will be looking to bounce back from a tough 12-11 overtime loss to Campbell in Lynchburg, Saturday afternoon. The Runnin' Bulldogs (0-13, 0-3 Big South) are still in search of their first win of 2017. Their most recent setback came at home last Saturday, 17-6, to Presbyterian.

Liberty will take on Gardner-Webb, Wednesday in Boiling Springs, N.C.

Series History
Liberty holds a 3-0 edge in the all-time series with the Runnin' Bulldogs. The two programs last met on April 16, 2016, in Lynchburg. Liberty's Michaela Rich notched four goals, while Brianna McCaffrey and Callie Francis scored three times each, lifting the Lady Flames to a 16-10 victory.

How to Follow the Lady Flames
Live stats for the contest, courtesy of Gardner-Webb athletics, will be available on the Liberty lacrosse schedule/results panel on LibertyFlames.com. Also, be sure to follow @LUGameday on Twitter for live in-game updates from Spangler Stadium.

2017 Big South Update
Liberty is currently in third place in the Big South with a 2-1 mark, trailing only Campbell (3-0) and High Point (3-0). Following Wednesday's contest, the Lady Flames will host Big South preseason favorite High Point on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

Here's a look at the current conference standings:

Team	Conference	Overall
Campbell	3-0	6-6
High Point	3-0	9-3
Liberty	2-1	3-10
Longwood	1-2	5-8
Presbyterian	1-2	2-9
Radford	1-2	5-7
Winthrop	1-2	4-9
Gardner-Webb	0-3	0-13

Nangle vs. Krick
Liberty Lacrosse Head Coach Kelly Nangle will be facing a familiar opponent on the sideline in Gardner-Webb Lacrosse Head Coach Jill Krick. Krick played for the Lady Flames from 2011-14 and was coached by Nangle during her senior season. Krick is in her second year in charge of the Runnin' Bulldogs.

Britton, White Shoulder the Scoring Load of Late
Liberty's recent scoring surge has been aided by the efforts of redshirt sophomore Paige Britton and freshman Carly White. Britton scored a career-best six goals at Longwood, last Wednesday, while White scored once in the 18-8 win over the Lancers.

On Saturday at home against Campbell, the duo combined for seven of the 11 Liberty goals. White registered a career-best four tallies, while Britton added a hat trick.

Lady Flames News and Notes

• Liberty is No. 8 in the country in ground balls per game (22.46) and No. 16 in the country in caused turnovers per game (11.23). The Lady Flames are second in the Big South in both categories.
• The Lady Flames are averaging 15.67 goals per game through three Big South Conference contests.
• Sophomore midfielder Brianna McCaffrey leads Liberty in goals (25), draw controls (51) and shots (73). McCaffrey is fifth in the Big South and 48th nationally in draw controls per game (3.92) and third in the conference in shots per game (5.62).
• McCaffrey has tallied seven free-position goals in 2017, which ranks sixth-most in a single season in Lady Flames lacrosse history. Former Liberty player Sam Struss holds the record with 13 in 2014. Paige Britton has four free-position tallies in the last two contests.
• Sophomore attacker Kayla Foster leads the team with 36 points (17 g, 19 a). She tallied a season-high seven points (4 g, 3 a), last Wednesday at Longwood. Foster's 19 assists places her 50th in the country and tied for fifth in the Big South (1.46/game).
• Liberty senior defender Victoria Tickle paces the team with 38 ground balls and is 38^th in DI in ground balls per game (2.92) and fourth in the Big South. Tickle is eighth all-time in program history with 87 ground balls.
• Liberty's freshmen have accounted for 42 of the 120 goals (35 percent) scored by the Lady Flames, this season. Grace Fletcher paces Liberty freshmen with 12 goals, followed by Hannah Quast (11), Carly White (11), Jenna Joyal (5) and Nikki Stumpf (3).
• Over the last seven games, Liberty is averaging 11.57 goals per game. The Lady Flames averaged just 6.50 goals a game during their first six contests.
• Liberty is first in the Big South in woman-down goals per game (.43) and fourth in woman-up goals per game (.64).

Scouting Gardner-Webb
Despite placing last in the Big South in goals per game (7.00), GWU boasts one of the top scorers in the conference in junior midfielder Amanda Steinmuller. Steinmuller is fourth in the Big South with 32 goals (2.46/game) and ranks eighth in the Big South in assists (16) and No. 50 in NCAA DI in points (48).

Sophomore attacker Abby Hanscom paces the squad in ground balls (27) and caused turnovers (13) while winning a team-high 37 draw controls. Freshman midfielder Colleen Conn is second on the team in ground (26) and caused turnovers (10).

Goalkeeping duties have been split amongst three netminders, with freshman Melan White (0-8, 22.51 GAA, 69 SV in 402:27) and freshman Katie Sylvester (0-4, 16.50 GAA, 44 SV in 294:29) likely to both see action in Wednesday's contest.