Friday, April 7, 2017

Liberty Women's Lacrosse to Host BSC Foe Campbell, Saturday

Coming off a pair of Big South victories, the Liberty lacrosse team will take on conference opponent Campbell on Saturday at noon at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.
Saturday's matchup will feature two teams tied atop the Big South Conference standings in the early part of the conference slate. Liberty (3-9, 2-0 Big South) is coming off an 18-8 triumph at Presbyterian to open Big South play, this past Saturday. Campbell (5-6, 2-0 Big South) defeated Presbyterian, 17-3, at home on Wednesday to also move to 2-0 in league play.

McCaffrey leads Liberty lacrosse with 23 goals, this season.
Series HistoryLiberty and Campbell have split four all-time meetings. In their most recent meeting (April 9, 2016), the Camels edged the Lady Flames, 11-10.
How to Follow the Lady Flames
The Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN) will be providing a live broadcast of Saturday's game on the Big South network. Find the link for the broadcast on the lacrosse schedule/result panel on LibertyFlames.com
Live stats for the contest will also be available 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 was selected to finish fourth in the Big South Conference women's lacrosse preseason poll, while Saturday's opponent, Campbell, was slotted one position ahead of Liberty at third.  
Campbell, High Point and Liberty each hold 2-0 records in the early portion of Big South competition. Here's a look at the conference standings to date:
TeamConferenceOverall
Campbell2-05-6
High Point2-08-3
Liberty2-03-9
Longwood1-15-7
Radford1-15-7
Gardner-Webb0-20-12
Presbyterian0-21-9
Winthrop0-23-9
 
Widrick Garners Big South Defensive Player of the Week Selection
Liberty sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Widrick was named the Big South Women's Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week by the league office, Tuesday afternoon.
Widrick made 11 saves while surrendering eight goals in an 18-8 win at Presbyterian, Saturday. The victory was Widrick's first of 2017 and second time she has reached double digits in saves this season. The Camillus, N.Y., native also scooped up a career-best nine ground balls at PC.
The sophomore is off to another strong start, this week. She made eight saves while yielding eight goals in an 18-8 victory at Longwood, Wednesday. Widrick is currently second in the Big South in goals-against average (12.24) and third in save percentage (.407).
Britton Breaks Through for Six Goals
Liberty's Paige Britton had a career day at Longwood on Wednesday. The redshirt sophomore tallied a career-high and game-high six goals in an 18-8 victory. Britton's six markers tied for the second most in a game in program history.
Britton entered Wednesday's contest with six goals and doubled her season total with the six-goal effort. She also added an assist.
Lady Flames News and Notes
  • Liberty is No. 8 in the country in ground balls per game (22.42) and No. 19 in the country in caused turnovers per game (11.17). The Lady Flames are second and first in the Big South in the two categories, respectively.
  • The Lady Flames have scored 18 goals twice this year, both coming in Big South play (Presbyterian and Longwood).
  • Liberty has not played on its home turf since a March 4 contest against Old Dominion.
  • Sophomore midfielder Brianna McCaffrey leads Liberty in goals (23), draw controls (47) and shots (59). McCaffrey is fifth in the Big South and 49th nationally in draw controls per game (3.92) and fourth in the conference in shots per game (5.67).
  • McCaffrey has recorded 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.
  • Sophomore attacker Kayla Foster leads the team with 34 points (17 g, 17 a). She tallied a season-high seven points (4 g, 3 a) on Wednesday at Longwood. Her 17 assists places 49th in the country and tied for fifth in the Big South (1.42/game).
  • Liberty senior defender Victoria Tickle paces the team with 35 ground balls and is 42nd in the country in ground balls per game (2.92) and fifth in the Big South.
  • Liberty's freshmen have accounted for 37 of the 109 goals (33.9 percent) scored by the Lady Flames, this season. Hannah Quast and Grace Fletcher are tied for first among Liberty freshmen with 11 goals, followed by Carly White (7), Jenna Joyal (5) and Nikki Stumpf (3).
  • Over the last six games, Liberty is averaging 11.67 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 (.46) and third in woman-up goals per game (.69).
Scouting Campbell 
The Camels are strong on the draw and in limiting turnovers. Campbell is averaging 13.91 draw controls per game, which is 28th in NCAA DI. The Camels only commit 15.55 turnovers per game, best in the Big South and No. 16 in the country.
On offense, the Camels are paced by junior attacker Kayla Reilly (20 g, 22 a, 42 pts) and sophomore midfielder Melissa Placek (26 g, 10 a, 36 pts). Reilly, this week's Big South Women's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week, is 26th in the nation and second in the Big South in assists per game (2.00). Placek is No. 23 in NCAA DI in draw controls per game (5.09).
Senior goalkeeper Merredith Bechler (4-4, 12.59 GAA, 72 SV) will likely be between the pipes for Camels third-year head coach Dawn Easley.

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