The journey to the top of the Big East begins
For the Liberty University field hockey team (1-4), this season brings a challenging schedule full of nationally-ranked teams as well as first-time participation in the Big East Conference.
The Flames’ season began with four top-20 teams, including James Madison (3-2), Duke (6-0), Syracuse (6-0) and Virginia (3-3).
These teams lived up to their rankings and defeated the Flames.
“I have been pleased that we have been getting better every game,” Head Coach Jodi Murphy said.
“Though we have been playing pretty inconsistently, we have been playing one half really strong, and then the other half, we’ve been pretty inconsistent.”
Previously, the team did not compete within a conference.
The Big East is new territory for the team, and will create more opportunity for the Flames to appear in the NCAA tournament.
The match against Villanova Friday, Sept. 16 was the Flames’ first Big East opener.
The Flames emerged victorious over the Wildcats, taking the game 5-1.
The Big East conference increases visibility for the team through its strong media presence and promotion.
NEWBIES — The Lady Flames are ready for the Big East. Photo credit: Leah Seavers
Senior defender Serena Barr described the Big East as an opportunity above all else.
“We want to go out and make a big impression and put our stance out for the Big East,” Barr said.
“Obviously, we want to win the Big East. Being in the Big East is a big step, because it is a big conference. Being able to have a conference play at the end gives us a buffer zone as well.”
“Having membership in a conference versus last year competing as an independent gives you the opportunity to earn an automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament,” Murphy said.
“So we know these games really count. Not to say that the ACC teams that we have played don’t matter, but these are the ones we are working toward.”
This year, 10 freshmen were added to Liberty’s roster.
Last year, the team graduated 10 players, creating room for new athletes to establish themselves.
According to sophomore midfielder and forward Abby Julius, the team is just beginning to become a cohesive force.
“It was a little different last year,” Julius said.
“We had a group of seniors who had been playing together for so long that there was already a gel initially there. For this year, we have a lot of new players.”
The team is young, but each game creates an opportunity to excel and perform at higher levels.
“This is a very strong league, and we want to make an impact on the conference,” Murphy said.
“We want to go out in our first season and make a difference. My biggest goal at this stage is that we get better every single game and that we get more confident. I want us to play with greater faith than fear — to operate out of confidence and joy even. Sometimes we get caught up in how monotonous it is, and we lose the joy in the performance and glorifying God.”
The Flames will play their first home game of the season Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. against Longwood.
BALL is a sports reporter.