The Liberty Men’s Lacrosse team’s postseason run concluded April 24 as the Flames dropped a tightly contested 13-12 game to Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC) Division 1 semifinals.
Liberty set the offensive tone following the opening faceoff. The Flames struck first minutes into the game when sophomore midfielder Josiah Hoopman finished a setup by graduate student midfielder Ezra Anderson.
Moments later, Liberty doubled its advantage as freshman attacker Branson Isaacs scored, assisted by Anderson, pushing the Flames ahead 2-0.
Virginia Tech responded shortly after, breaking through with a pair of goals to tie the game midway through the first quarter before gaining momentum. The Hokies continued their run, capitalizing on defensive stops to flip the score and build their first lead of the afternoon.
Liberty responded late in the first quarter during a man-up opportunity after a Virginia Tech penalty. Isaacs scored his second goal of the game, tightening the gap further and keeping the Flames within striking distance as the quarter ended.
The Hokies carried a narrow edge into the second quarter as both teams settled into a fast-paced, back-and-forth rhythm.
The Flames quickly regained control to open the second. Sophomore midfielder William Morris tied the game 4-4 with an unassisted goal. Liberty continued to follow with sustained pressure.
Isaacs completed his hat trick off an assist from Hoopman to give Liberty its first lead since the early part of the first quarter at 5-4.
On a second man up following a Virginia Tech penalty, Liberty extended its run. Isaacs continued to lead the game with assistance from Hoopman, followed by junior midfielder Hunter Rockhill, who pushed the lead to 7-4.
Head Coach Kyle McQuillan credited the Flames in their ability to respond to the challenge against the Hokies.
“We did catch them off guard, credit to them for responding,” McQuillan said. “It was a lot of back and forth.”
Virginia Tech responded with two quick goals to cut the lead to 7-6, but Liberty answered again before halftime. Isaacs scored off a feed from freshman attacker Taydan Williams.
Williams later added a goal of his own with a shot clock buzzer-beater, giving Liberty a 9-6 lead at halftime.
The third quarter shifted momentum back toward Virginia Tech. The Hokies opened the half with an early goal to make it 9-7, and they continued to chip away at the deficit through sustained pressure and transition opportunities.
A Flames penalty led to a Virginia Tech man-up goal that tied the game again at 9-9. Shortly after, another Hokies goal gave them the lead 10-9.
After regaining possession, Liberty responded once more. Williams scored to tie the game 10-10, then freshman attacker Jeffrey Pitcher scored to push the Flames ahead by one.
The fourth quarter continued the same back-and-forth pattern. Virginia Tech tied the game at 11-11, then pulled ahead 12-11 shortly after. Liberty responded again when Rockhill scored unassisted to even the game at 12-12.
From there, Virginia Tech delivered the final swing, scoring to take a 13-12 lead with under two minutes remaining. Liberty had late possessions to respond but was unable to convert as the Hokies held on defensively to close out the win.
Despite the loss, McQuillan emphasized the effort shown in a game that stayed competitive from start to finish.
“I’m proud of the guys. They played really well,” McQuillan said. “Would have loved to have come away with a victory, but you cannot take anything away from these guys.”
Clardy is the off campus news editor for the Liberty Champion.