Conference tourney awaits
By Cierra Carter
Lady Flames look to win back-to-back NorPac championships
The Lady Flames field hockey team will head to Stockton, California, Nov. 6 for the Northern Pacific (NorPac) Conference Tournament, where they look to repeat as conference champions.
Last season, Liberty started out just above .500 at 5-4 before winning 12 straight games and upsetting the Stanford Cardinals in the tournament final. The 2-1 defeat won the young program its first title and a spot in the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament.
Focus — Junior Ashlee Kurlock is currently second in scoring for the Lady Flames. Photo credit: Courtney Russo
This year, the Lady Flames enter the tournament with an 11-7 record, winning all four of their conference games. Despite a few late-season heartbreakers, Liberty was able to defeat two nationally ranked opponents this season in home games against then 12th-ranked Wake Forest and 11th-ranked Louisville.
As winners of the NorPac East, the Lady Flames will get a first-round bye in the tournament, an incentive welcomed by Head Coach Jodi Murphy and her players.
“It’s exciting to win this division championship for the third year in a row, and we know that a target is on our back coming off of the championship last year,” Murphy said. “We know that we’ve got to keep our guard up and fight for every single thing that we’re doing.”
With an extra day of rest and fresh legs, Liberty looks to put on a strong performance.
“We want to focus on getting our bodies ready for the tournament,” senior Helen Doolittle said. “We really want to just get rest and be able to peak at the right time.”
The Lady Flames have had a lot of success offensively this season, outscoring their opponents 66-32. They have distributed the offensive attack well with 14 different goal scorers. Their efforts have earned the Lady Flames a sixth place NCAA ranking in both scoring average and goals per game.
Liberty’s defense has contributed equally to its efforts this season. The Lady Flames have posted three shutout wins with the help of junior goalkeeper Mallory Cuccio, who is having quite the season with a new career high of 72 saves.
After wrapping up the year Oct. 28 with a 7-0 win over Georgetown, the Lady Flames have time to direct their attention entirely to their NorPac Championship hopes.
“We’re going to be focusing on a lot of tactic things and things that we need to fix in our game … just so that we can improve our game and continue in getting better and reach our potential for the right time in the season,” junior midfielder and captain Natalie Barr said.
The Lady Flames have been out west many times before, so the environment will not compromise their focus.
“We’ve been out there quite a few times, and really, our biggest thing in this trip is to win the championship,” Murphy said. “There’s fun to be had in the hotel doing game prep and winning.”
The NorPac Championship Tournament will take place Nov. 6-8 at the University of the Pacific. Liberty will take on the winner of game one Friday, Nov. 7 at 11:30 a.m.
CARTER is a sports reporter.