Lady Flames drop NLC game
The Lady Flames were defeated 17-4 in a brutal game against the High Point Lady Panthers at Osborne Stadium April 13.
High scorer — Captain junior Kristen Crowley led the Lady Flames in scoring with two goals during Wednesday’s loss to the High Point Lady Panthers. Photo credit: Chris Mabes
The loss to High Point dropped Liberty to 5-8 for the season and 2-4 in National Lacrosse Conference (NLC) games. Adding notches to its stats, High Point rose to 11-3 for the season and 5-1 in the NLC at the end of the game.
High Point proved to be an excellent competitor as the game began. High Point fired off three goals in the first eight minutes of the game.
Receiving a pass from freshman Jen Freymond, junior Annessa Jamison landed Liberty’s first goal 11 minutes after the starting whistle blew.
Though Liberty fought hard, High Point’s offense demanded control and could not be stopped. The Lady Panthers netted another three consecutive goals, all within a three-minute span.
Junior Kristin Crowley broke High Point’s streak with another goal for Liberty. Shortly after Crowley’s goal, Freymond added another notch to the scoreboard for Liberty with a helpful pass from freshman Jen Moyer.
Refusing to let the Lady Flames raise the score, High Point’s offense plowed forward keeping Liberty’s goalie freshman Kristen Masullo on her toes. The Lady Panthers shot hard and fast and ended the first half with 12 points. Liberty was down by 9.
Masullo managed six saves in the first half to High Point goalie Lauren Hayes’ three.
High Point lost no momentum starting the second half, but Liberty’s defense stepped it up. The ball did not see the inside of either team’s net for the first 10 minutes of the half.
High Point’s Ashleigh Kassab scored the first goal of the second half. The score put High Point ahead by 10 which initiated a running clock.
High Point managed four additional goals despite the determination from Liberty’s defense. Liberty’s defense held High Point to a third of the shots in the first half, and prevented the Lady Panthers from scoring in the last nine minutes of the game. This put High Point at a total score of 17.
Liberty’s offense was on a mission as well, taking nearly as many shots as High Point’s offense. It could not deliver until Crowley ended the scoring for the game with a Liberty tally, assisted by Freymond. The final four minutes of the game were null of goals, ending the game at 17-4.