Women’s LAcrosse Opens Conference Season With 22-5 Demolition Of Rival Delaware State

The Lady Flames women’s lacrosse team opened conference play with a dominant win over the Delaware State Hornets. The Lady Flames put on an offensive showcase, winning with a final score of 22-5. After scoring those 22 goals, Liberty was only two points shy of matching the team record in goals in a game. 

The team opened the match with its usual first period aggressiveness. They scored three goals in the first three minutes until the Hornets managed to stem the tide with a goal of their own. With the score at 3-1, the Lady Flames turned the energy up to 10, scoring 10 unanswered goals on the Hornets. 

That early game aggressiveness has been a theme for this unit. 

“You got to set the tone. We really worked to start strong and finish strong … If we can continue to put these quarters together, we’ll be in a good spot,” Head Coach Kelly Nangle said.

After that 10-0 run by the Lady Flames, the Hornets attempted to make a run of their own, scoring three straight goals to end the first half. Liberty opened the second half in its usual scoring fashion, with junior Brooke Bryan, sophomore Mackenzie Lehman and freshman Cami Merkel all adding to their goal totals. Lehman, Bryan and Merkel are second, third and fourth on the Flames roster in total goals, respectively. Lehman has 25 goals, Bryan has 20 and Merkel has 18. The only Lady Flame to score more than the three of them this season is Liberty sophomore Jordan Baerga, who has scored 27 goals. 

Those four Flames lead the scoring attack for this team, and that was no different in this matchup. Of the 22 goals scored, nine were scored by those four: three each by Lehman and Bryan, two for Baerga and one for Merkel. 

This was the first matchup for the Lady Flames against ASUN competition. Last season, they went 2-1 in ASUN competition, defeating both Kennesaw State and Stetson and losing to Jacksonville. They then proceeded to defeat Kennesaw State again in the ASUN championship before being eliminated in another loss to Jacksonville. 

Nangle and her staff have been planning and preparing for the ASUN with a clear goal to win the division. 

“Each team in the ASUN is getting better every year,” Nangle said. “We’re going to be challenged and see how we respond as we continue to go through April, and that’s right where we want to be. We’ve had a difficult schedule, and it’s helped us prepare for what’s to come.” 

Paslgrove is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter

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