Then there were two

Barr sisters look to finish what Natalie started four years ago on the field

Graduate Assistant Coach Natalie Barr, senior defender Serena Barr and senior midfielder Bethany Barr began playing field hockey together long before they were on the Liberty University roster.

The three sisters began their training in the front yard of their home in Lurgan, Northern Ireland.

“We played in the front garden and the kitchen,” Bethany Barr said. “The garage door is still battered to this day.”

The three players grew up in a household of six children.

While their older siblings never played field hockey, Natalie, Serena and Bethany Barr grew to love field hockey through a youth club when Natalie Barr was 8 years old.

“The club we played for had a very good youth program that started kids very young,” Bethany Barr said. “Natalie first went to that on Saturday mornings, then brought us along.”

BARR NONE — Serena and Bethany Barr are in their last season as Lady Flames. Photo credit: Kevin Manguiob

BARR NONE — Serena and Bethany Barr are in their last season as Lady Flames. Photo credit: Kevin Manguiob

Natalie Barr played with the team for four years before becoming the graduate assistant coach for the 2016-2017 season.

Natalie Barr came to Liberty with the intent to stay for one year and play field hockey.

“I came on my official visit and really enjoyed it,” Natalie Barr said. “I ended up coming out for a year and stayed for four instead.”

Natalie Barr is currently studying elementary education.

She enjoys coaching competitively and being involved in the athletic atmosphere.

“I wasn’t all that interested at first, but then I found out that Coach Murphy had been to Uganda, coaching and doing sports ministry,” Natalie Barr said. “That had always intrigued me, and every time we go to Uganda, we coach and allow these children to have the opportunity to just be kids.”

She holds top records in 11 different categories for the university’s program.

During the four years she played for Liberty, she scored 54 goals, assisted 26 goals, took 306 shots and made 13 game-winning goals.

“Coaching is the next best thing,” Natalie Barr said. “My first choice would be playing, but I am so blessed to have this opportunity to be working alongside the staff and players like Bethany and Serena.”

In 2013, Serena and Bethany Barr started attending Liberty.

Bethany Barr is majoring in interdisciplinary studies with focuses in geography, environmental sciences and creation studies.

Serena Barr is majoring in public health and minoring in biomedical sciences.

The twins are in their senior year in the field hockey program.

Serena Barr holds the record for the most career assists at 33.

Six of those were within the 2016-2017 season. After she finishes this year and completes her degree, she hopes to complete her master’s degree and teacher licensure.

Her end goal is to be a high school geography teacher.

Her twin sister, Bethany Barr is the record-holder for single season assists.

She plans to get her master’s degree in dietetics in either England, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

“When we were very young, I remember having to make the decision between swimming and hockey,” Bethany Barr said. “It was never really a decision, because it is always going to be hockey.”

The three sisters shared the same passion for field hockey at Liberty.

The match against Stanford in 2013 won the Lady Flames the NorPac Championship title.

“Stanford was so much better than us, but we played with so much heart,” Natalie Barr said. “That is what we are trying to teach these girls this year — the way you gain an advantage is your head and your heart.”

The three sisters explained the benefits of playing together and the friendly competition it creates between them.

“We always pick each other for one-on-one drills because, although we hate to lose against each other, it makes us better,” Serena Barr said. “It gives us accountability with each other.”

The players are accountable to each other both on and off the court.

“When you live together, you are accountable to each other with what you eat and over the summer, what your fitness looks like,” Serena Barr said.

“My sister will be honest with me. She will tell me if I am not putting in the work I need.”

Liberty allows the Barrs to play the sport they love with a Christ-centered attitude. This changes how and why they play field hockey.

Throughout their time in Lynchburg, the three players have made an impact on the Liberty field hockey team’s program history.

For Natalie, Serena and Bethany Barr, field hockey allowed them to come together as a family and as teammates.

“It feels different being on the field with the same purpose and the same mind, because we want a positive outcome, but when the whistle blows, we have something more,” Serena Barr said.

“We are defined by our relationship with Christ, and we are playing for an audience of one.”

BALL is a sports reporter.

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