Field Hockey Ends Regular Season With A 9-0 Win Over Davidson
The Lady Flames field hockey team defended its home field April 11, finishing out the regular season with a 9-0 victory over the Davidson Wildcats to remain unbeaten at home this year.
The nationally-ranked Flames (No. 6 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll) improved to a dominant 13-2 record after the nonconference win. The team continued its season-defining defensive dominance, shutting out the Wildcats to get Liberty’s seventh home win of the season.
Offense also played a major part in the victory. Five different players on the Flames roster scored in the game, allowing the offense to spread out for seamless play.
Head Coach Nikki Parsley-Blocker said that selfless play allowed the offense to dominate the field Sunday afternoon.
“In a game where there’s a lot of goals, it’s really easy to be selfish,” Parsley-Blocker said. “We had so many different people … willing to give up the ball for each other. It wasn’t about one person putting it away. It felt like a team effort.”
“I think we just connected really well,” senior forward Jill Bolton said. “There were a lot of different people on the scoring sheet. I think that’s just a testament to our team. It’s not just one person scoring. It was a group effort, and I think that was the game changer today.”
Bolton and junior forward Charlotte Vaanhold spearheaded the offense during the game. The forwards scored three goals apiece, with Bolton also adding two assists. Junior midfielder Lizzie Hamlett also shined on offense, notching two assists.
The Lady Flames maintained a fast start in the first quarter, scoring at the 12:14, 9:01 and 0:59 marks. The offense moved the ball any way they pleased in both the first and second halves, scoring in every quarter.
The defense was able to dominate alongside the offense. Standout freshman goalie Azul Iritxity Irigoyen defended the goal on four Davidson corner plays, shutting down the Wildcats and giving the Flames offense more opportunities to score.
Parsley-Blocker said she was proud of her team for focusing on the game instead of looking ahead to the Big East Tournament (which begins April 22 for Liberty).
“One of our game points was … be where your feet are,” Parsley-Blocker said. “We just didn’t want to get caught looking ahead to the Big East Tournament when we still had one more game to takecare of.”
The Lady Flames have had a record-shattering regular season. The team is currently ranked fourth in the country in the NCAA Field Hockey RPI listing and ranked in the top five in the country in five different statistical categories. Liberty players have also received 20 weekly awards this season, with 16 coming from the Big East conference and four at the national level from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA).
The Lady Flames will be looking to finish out their impressive season by making a run in the Big East Tournament.
The Lady Flames begin the Big East Tournament April 22 in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
Sarah Tate is a Sports Reporter. Follow her on Instagram at @state2151.