The Liberty University Field Hockey team defeated University at Albany 1-0 in a tight defensive game Sept. 12. The No. 9 Lady Flames displayed solid offensive and defensive efforts throughout the game, managing to snag the only goal of the evening in the third period.
Prior to the game, Liberty celebrated two seniors in a pregame ceremony. Senior forward Anna Miller and senior midfielder Lou Combrinck walked the field with their families, honoring the end of their journey playing Liberty Field Hockey.
The first period began with a stalemate as each team held the other to zero shots.
The Lady Flames readjusted in the second period, bringing their offense to life. This spark brought four shot attempts, earning one penalty corner. Although Liberty did not score during this period, its offensive attacks grew while the defense held UAlbany to only allow one shot.
Halftime sparked a turning point as the Lady Flames reevaluated their game plan and made adjustments that proved to be effective.
“I thought our girls made excellent halftime adjustments,” Head Coach Nikki Parsley-Blocker said. “They’ve shown consistently throughout the first four games they respond to the halftime adjustments.”
The Lady Flames continued to prevail in the third period, with nine shots and five penalty corners. Freshman defender Julieta Tornati scored her first collegiate goal on a penalty corner with assists from freshman defender Morena Giacosa and Combrinck.
“I’ve been trying to score since day one, so every opportunity I had I tried to score,” Tornati said.
The third period highlighted the Lady Flames’ team chemistry as they worked together to set up shots and create opportunities to score.
“Outside of the field and inside of the field, we are like a really close team,” Tornati said. “We really get along with each other, and I think you can tell by seeing us play. … We are really selfless.”
Defensively, the Lady Flames continued to lock the Lady Great Danes’ offense as Liberty did not allow a single shot or penalty corner throughout the third period.
“We really limited a lot of their opportunities,” Parsley-Blocker said. “I think of the third quarter— I don’t know that (UAlbany) had a circle entry. … We really wanted them to send balls in, and Albany was doing a good job of defending in the circle, so I thought we did a good job of sending those in and created a lot of dangerous opportunities.”
During the fourth period, the Lady Flames continued to evade any last-minute threats from UAlbany.
Freshman goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin made a clutch save in the last minute of play to thwart the Lady Great Danes’ attempts to score. Liberty also successfully avoided a penalty corner by UAlbany in the last 30 seconds of play, solidifying their 1-0 win.
“Anytime you can win the game, it’s great, but we’re just constantly trying to evaluate the process behind it, and we really need to figure out how to start fast,” Parsley-Blocker said. “It’s a very young team, and so we’ve got to learn some of these lessons, and fortunately it didn’t cost us a win.”
Parsley-Blocker mentioned the efforts of redshirt junior defender and midfielder Kyleigh Faust in the game.
“I thought Kyleigh Faust was excellent,” Parsley-Blocker said. “I just thought she showed so much maturity and an intensity and relentlessness out there for all 60 minutes. … (Faust) may be somebody that goes unnoticed but does not go unnoticed by the coaching staff.”
With four wins under their belt so far this season, the Lady Flames keep their overall goal of a national championship in their sights as they continue through the rest of the season.
Next, the Lady Flames head to Hamden, Connecticut to face Quinnipiac University Sept. 19 at 1 p.m.
Wachowiak is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.