Lady Flames Win High-Scoring Affair Against Tribe, 20-16

There was no shortage of offense in Saturday afternoon's lacrosse contest between Liberty and William & Mary, as the Lady Flames won the high-scoring affair 20-16 at Busch Turf Field.

Liberty's second road victory of the week and third straight win overall puts the Lady Flames above .500 (4-3) for the first time this season. Meanwhile, William & Mary (2-3) sees its record dip below .500.

It was a milestone day for Liberty. Making her return after a four-game absence, senior midfielder Carly White scored her 100th career goal in the first half. White scored four times in the game and added two assists for six points. The captain also had eight draw controls, eight ground balls and four caused turnovers.

Attacker Brooke Bryan matched a career high with four goals and tallied a career-best six points, while attacker Jordan Baerga notched her first career hat trick. Freshman attacker Jordan Sheive had her second straight three-goal game, and Kylie Jones made her first career start (two ground balls, one draw control) on Saturday.

Thoughts From Head Coach Kelly Nangle
"What a win! This team has grown with each opportunity we have had this season! We are building confidence and finding our flow. We had so many different players step up in key moments of the game today. We packed each other's parachutes and found ways to get the job done. This was a great win for our program against a very good William & Mary team. We are excited to get back to work this week to prepare for a big game on Friday."

Scoring Summary
Liberty Goals: Brooke Bryan 4, Carly White 4, Jordan Sheive 3, Jordan Baerga 3, Mackenzie Lehman 2, Mia Toscano 2, Leah Ruby 1, Andrea Colavito 1
Liberty Assists: Brooke Bryan 2, Mackenzie Lehman 2, Carly White 2, Alexa Evernham 1, Olivia Glaze 1, Leah Ruby 1, Jordan Sheive 1
William & Mary Goals: Belle Martire 4, London Simonides 3, Anne Wilwicz 2, Sabrina Schrader 2, Sydney Sloan 2, Sophie Kopec 1, Sarah Cipolla 1, Lauren Russell 1
William & Mary Assists: Sophie Kopec 3, Belle Martire 2, Sarah Cipolla 1, Anne Milwicz 1

Goalkeepers
W: Jennifer Soriero 4-3, two saves
L: Elsa Rall 2-3, five saves

Turning Point
William & Mary jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first 10:38 of the game. After a slow start offensively, Liberty found its rhythm by scoring 12 goals in the closing 18:12 of the half.

During that stretch, Bryan (4), White (3), Baerga (3) and Sheive (2) all scored two or more times. White's 99th (9:14 mark) and 100th goals came only 48 seconds apart. The 100th goal came with 8:26 remaining in the opening half and made it 9-5 Liberty.

The Lady Flames' 13th and final goal of the half came from the stick of Baerga with 19 seconds remaining. Liberty carried a 13-8 advantage into the break. The Tribe drew within two (15-13) with 14:47 to go in the game following a goal from Sydney Sloan. The Lady Flames responded with the next five goals to secure the victory. Liberty's Sheive capped off her hat trick with 3:09 left in the game, the visitors' 20th goal of the afternoon.

First Half Summary
• Liberty outshot William & Mary 20-12 in the first half despite losing the draw control battle 13-8 in the opening 30 minutes.
• The Lady Flames scooped up 14 ground balls in the opening stanza, while the Tribe collected only eight. Liberty also had nine caused turnovers in the first half, compared to just four for William & Mary.

Second Half Summary
• Liberty saw contributions from different players in the second half, as Toscano scored twice, and Mackenzie Lehman and Andrea Colavito both found the back of the net once as well.
• The Lady Flames won nine of the 16 second half draw controls and attempted 19 shots in the closing half, while the Tribe attempted 11 shots.

Key Stats & Notes
• Liberty outshot William & Mary 39-23 on the day and held advantages in ground balls (27-18), caused turnovers (18-20) and free-position goals (6-4). The Lady Flames also had a better clearing percentage (.857, 18-of-21) than the Tribe (.667, 12-of-18). William & Mary tallied 20 draw controls to Liberty's 17.
• White's first career goal came on March 4, 2017 against Old Dominion at the Liberty Lacrosse Field. Her 50th career goal occurred on the road at Campbell on April 21, 2018.  The midfielder scored her 75th career goal at Kennesaw State on March 16, 2019. White is the eighth player in program history to reach 100 career goals.
• Saturday's 20-goal game was Liberty's first 20-goal effort since scoring 22 times against Howard, April 26, 2019 (22-0 win).
• Bryan is the Lady Flames' leading scorer in 2021 with 14 goals in seven games. Leah Ruby paces the squad with 19 points (13 g, 6 a).
• The all-time series between the two schools is now even at 2-2. The Lady Flames have won two in a row in the series.

Up Next
• Liberty will continue its current road trip with a game at No. 4 Notre Dame (2-1). Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Arlotta Family Lacrosse Stadium on Friday.
• The two teams have met three previous times, with the Irish winning each time. Liberty and Notre Dame squared off at the Liberty Lacrosse Field on Feb. 17, 2019 in what was the first time the Irish had ever competed at Liberty in any sport. The Lady Flames fell 14-10 in that contest.

Carly White's second goal of the day, which came with 8:26 left in the first half, was the 1?0?0?th of her career!?? Congrats, Carly! pic.twitter.com/s9edRBhebV

— Liberty Lacrosse (@LibertyWLAX) March 13, 2021