Liberty Wins in Double-Overtime on Senior Day

  • Lady Flames soccer overcomes emotional Senior Day game to beat Charleston Southern in last regular season home game of the year.
  • Strong defense allowed the Lady Flames to make the shot in the 100th minute of the game to win in double overtime.

 

The Liberty University women’s soccer team (8-5-3) finished Saturday’s Homecoming Game against Charleston Southern (4-9-2) in double overtime 1-0.

 

Over 100 minutes passed before a point appeared on the scoreboard. Sophomore forward Sierra Lam took the winning shot from the left corner of the box. Lam said the team set her up well to deliver the final shot.

 

“There was a good passing combination,” Lam said. “I could see the keeper coming out so I just chipped it in behind her.”

 

Liberty also celebrated Senior Day Oct. 14, which drew out the players’ emotions for a little bit of the game. However, they still pulled the win.

 

“It is hard, there are so many emotions and family and it showed for us, especially during the beginning of the game,” coach Lang Wedemeyer said.  “We found a way and that is what the girls needed to do.”

 

Liberty ended the two regular periods and two overtimes with nine saves, while 13 shots were taken on them. Defense held the back end as the players tried hard to keep the ball out of the goal. Defenders refused to let Charleston’s forwards get ahead of them for a winning goal in overtime.

 

Lam said the defenders are good at stepping to the forwards and not letting them in by the goal. She said they did an excellent job keeping Charleston’s offense away from the goal at Saturday’s game.

 

“Defense has been doing great this entire season,” Lam said. “They did a great job clearing the ball today.”

 

R-sophomore midfielder Aly Hill said the team recognizes it needs to improve its finishes on goal.

 

“Finishing is something we have been working on all year,” Hill said. “We have been frustrated with it.”

 

Hill said the problem is not crossing, but rather finishing the movement when they get up by the goal.

 

“Our wings can get up and cross balls in, it is the finishing that we really need to get down, and we will,” Hill said.

 

Lam said she wants to see improvement in their scoring. She said possession has not been a struggle for them, but “finding the net” has not been happening as quickly as it should.

 

Hill said the beginning of the game was very slow. She said not many passes were connecting the way they needed to and she knew they could do better.

 

Wedemeyer said consistency is something they are working on as well, but once they find it they will be great. He said he knows they are capable.

 

“We can play great for periods of time and then we kind of lose our way a little bit,” Wedemeyer said. “We have to do a better job. We do not have enough pressure on the ball sometimes.”

 

Charleston Southern ended the game with 11 shots on Liberty, with six on goal. They received only two corner kicks and one yellow card at the 33rd minute. Liberty received six corner kicks and both teams ended with 12 fouls.

 

Wedemeyer gave the girls credit for being able to shut out a tough match on a tough day. He said winning a game on Senior Day is not easy because emotions are heightened, yet they maintained it and pulled the win.

 

Liberty finished its last regular season home game. The next game will be against Longwood Wednesday, Oct. 18 in Farmville, Virginia. After that, two games are played away and then Big South Quarterfinals begin.

 

 

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