Liberty Celebrates Senior Day With 17-6 Win Over Kennesaw State in ASUN Opener

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Postgame Interviews: Head Coach Kelly Nangle and Senior Sarah Steenson

Liberty celebrated its senior class with a 17-6 win over Kennesaw State in its ASUN opener on Senior Day, Friday afternoon at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

The Lady Flames improve to 7-6 overall and 1-0 in the ASUN. Liberty scored 12 goals in the second half to pull away for the victory. Kennesaw State drops to 5-7 on the year and 1-1 in ASUN competition.

Prior to the contest, the Liberty lacrosse program honored its senior class – Carly White, Sarah Steenson, Grace Fletcher, Claire Bratchie and Maddi Little – with a special ceremony.

Senior Class Stats from Today
#3 Claire Bratchie – 3 ground balls, 1 caused turnover
#5 Sarah Steenson – 4 caused turnovers, 1 ground ball
#7 Carly White – 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, 2 shots, 3 draw controls, 2 caused turnovers, 1 ground
ball
#13 Grace Fletcher – 1 goal, 1 point, 2 shots, 2 ground balls, 1 caused turnover, 1-of-1 on free-position attempts
#14 – Maddi Little – Did not play
*Bratchie, Steenson, White and Fletcher each started for Liberty.

Scoring Summary
Liberty Goals: Brooke Bryan 3, Andrea Colavito 2, Mia Toscano 2, Leah Ruby 2, Mackenzie Lehman 2, Carly White 1, Grace Fletcher 1, Lizzy Ferguson 1, Jordan Sheive 1, Kim Hagerty 1, Jolie Blohm 1
Liberty Assists: Jordan Baerga 2, Carly White 2, Andrea Colavito 1, Hannah Davis 1, Leah Ruby 1, Mia Toscano 1
Kennesaw State Goals: Marissa Gore 2, Jaxsyn Schonewille 1, Julia Dellangelo 1, Siena Gore, Caroline Farley 1
Kennesaw State Assists: Hannah Barth 1, Marissa Gore 1, Mia Mackenzie 1

Goalkeepers
W: Jennifer Soriero 7-6, four saves
L: Julia Weiss 5-7, 10 saves

Turning Point
Liberty held a 5-3 lead at the half but outscored Kennesaw State 12-3 in the second half to pick up the victory. The Lady Flames led 8-5 with 23:40 to go before scoring nine unanswered goals over the next 19:42 to close out the game.

During that run, eight different Lady Flames scored, including two goals from freshman midfielder Mackenzie Lehman. Seniors Carly White (18:51) and Grace Fletcher (14:40) also scored during the 9-0 run, and Jolie Blohm capped off the scoring with a goal at the 3:58 mark to make it 17-5 Liberty.

First Half Summary
• A low-scoring first half saw Liberty lead 5-3 at the break. The Lady Flames outshot the Owls 14-11 in the opening half and were a perfect 12-of-12 on clearing attempts.
• Liberty freshman Jordan Sheive gave the Lady Flames a two-goal cushion (5-3) when she scored at the 4:25 mark, her 16th goal of the season.

Second Half Summary
• Liberty outshot Kennesaw State 22-7 over the final 30 minutes and converted four of its six free-position attempts. Ten different Lady Flames scored in the second half.

Key Stats & Notes
• Liberty's senior class is the winningest in program history. With today's victory, this senior class has won 43 games.
• Eleven different Lady Flames scored in the contest.
• The Lady Flames attempted double as many shots (36) as the Owls (18). Liberty's 36 shots tied for its second most in a game this season. The Lady Flames generated 14 caused turnovers in the game, compared to only five for Kennesaw State. Liberty, the national leader in caused turnovers per game (13.69), has generated 14 or more caused turnovers seven times in 2021.
• Liberty also held the 20-15 edge in ground balls and a .913-.773 advantage in clearing percentage. The Lady Flames' Bratchie, Jennifer Soriero, Jordan Baerga and Andrea Colavito shared game high honors with three ground balls apiece.
• Lehman notched a career-best and game-high eight draw controls for Liberty. Lehman's eight draws is tied for the ninth most in a game in school history. Steenson, who entered the game ranked 14th in the nation in caused turnovers per game, matched a season high with four caused turnovers.
• Liberty's leading scorer, Brooke Bryan, recorded her 30th, 31st and 32nd goals of the season. Bryan has multiple goals in each of her last seven contests and three or more goals in five of the past eight games.
• The Lady Flames converted 5-of-8 free-position attempts. The Owls were 2-of-4 on their free-position chances.
• Liberty improves to 2-0 all-time against Kennesaw State. The Lady Flames topped the Owls in 2019 in their first-ever ASUN game.

Up Next
• The Lady Flames will play a road game at High Point (5-6) on Sunday afternoon. First draw is set for 1 p.m. at Vert Stadium in High Point, N.C.
• Liberty and High Point last met in 2019, a 14-9 win for the 25th-ranked Panthers on their home turf.