Liberty hung on to defeat visiting High Point 11-10 in non-conference action, Saturday afternoon at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

The Lady Flames led 10-5 late in the third period before the Panthers went on a 4-0 run to get within a goal (10-9) with 4:24 left. Liberty attacker Jordan Baerga scored an insurance goal to put the hosts up 11-9 with 2:09 to go, and the Lady Flames held on for a one-goal victory.

Liberty improves to 6-4 on the season and has won three straight games. High Point falls to 1-7 overall and has lost back-to-back games.

Scoring Summary
Liberty Goals: Jordan Baerga 2, Cami Merkel 2, Mackenzie Lehman 1, Brooke Bryan 2, Mia Toscano 1, Lizzy Ferguson 1, Andrea Colavito 1, Olivia Glaze 1, Jordan Sheive 1
Liberty Assists: Mackenzie Lehman 3, Jordan Baerga 1
High Point Goals: Mena Loescher 3, Abby Hormes 3, Mandy Brockamp 2, Pia Cavallaro 1, Jordan Miles 1
High Point Assists: Kay Rosselli 3, Pia Cavallaro 1, Emma Genovese 1, Mena Loescher 1

Goalkeepers
W: Jennifer Soriero 6-3, six saves
L: Taylor Suplee 1-7, 10 saves

Turning Point
Liberty closed the first half on a 3-0 run with goals from Cami Merkel, Jordan Sheive and Mackenzie Lehman. Lehman’s goal sent the Lady Flames into the break with a 6-3 edge.

Liberty scored four of the first six goals in the second half to build a five-goal cushion (10-5) with 2:57 to play in the third period. The Lady Flames’ goal scorers during the third period were Merkel, Andrea Colavito, Lizzy Ferguson and Brooke Bryan (2:57 mark).

First Half Summary
• All six Liberty goals in the first 30 minutes were scored by different players. Sheive (2:43 mark) and Lehman’s (2:14 mark) goals came 29 seconds apart and provided the home side a 6-3 edge heading into the half.
• Liberty outshot High Point 16-7 in the first two quarters and held an 8-5 edge in caused turnovers. Baerga, Hannah Davis and Mia Toscano each recorded two caused turnovers in the half. The Lady Flames made it challenging for the Panthers in the clear, limiting them to just 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) conversions.

Second Half Summary
• High Point outscored Liberty 7-5 in the final 30 minutes. The Panthers generated seven caused turnovers in the half, compared to four for the Lady Flames.
• Liberty goalkeeper Jennifer Soriero made five of her six saves in the second half. Soriero improves to 6-3 in net with the win.
• Liberty won eight draws in the second half, and High Point won six.
• High Point’s Mena Loescher and Abby Hormes both scored twice after intermission to reach three goals apiece.

Key Stats & Notes
• Liberty’s balanced attack on Saturday featured different goal scorers. Baerga and Merkel paced the squad with two goals apiece. Lehman matched a career high with three assists. Both of her three-assist games have come versus the Panthers.
• The Lady Flames finished the game with a 30-23 edge in shots and 13-12 edge in draw controls. Baerga led the squad with eight shots and took the draw for the first time in her career, winning two draw controls. Lehman paced Liberty with four draws.
• Liberty finished the game at 76.2 percent on clears (16-of-21), compared to 71.4 percent for High Point. Both teams scooped up 18 ground balls. Toscano paced Liberty with five ground balls.
• The Lady Flames defense did not allow a single free-position shot for the Panthers. Liberty capitalized on two of its five free-position shots, with goals courtesy of Merkel and Colavito.
• The Lady Flames improve to 3-2 this season on their home turf.
• Liberty has defeated High Point by one goal in back-to-back years. The Lady Flames bested the Panthers 14-13 a season ago in High Point, N.C.
• This is Liberty’s third-ever win over High Point. The Panthers have taken nine of the 12 all-time meetings.

Up Next
• Liberty will be back at home on Tuesday versus No. 8 Duke (11-1). The non-conference game will get started at 3 p.m. at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.
• The Lady Flames and Blue Devils met for the first time in 2021. Duke prevailed 18-6 on its home turf in Durham, N.C.