Liberty Tops Cal 17-13, Sunday Afternoon

The Liberty women's lacrosse team topped host Cal 17-13, Sunday afternoon at California Memorial Stadium.

Liberty improves to 4-4 on the season and snaps a two-game losing skid. Cal falls to 0-7 this year. Today's matchup was the first-ever meeting between the Lady Flames and Golden Bears.

Four Lady Flames recorded three-goal games: Jordan Baerga, Olivia Glaze, Cami Merkel and Tori Banks. Banks' hat trick was the first of her career. Goalkeeper Jennifer Soriero made a season-high nine saves in the contest.

Scoring Summary

Liberty Goals: Jordan Baerga 3, Olivia Glaze 3, Cami Merkel 3, Tori Banks 3, Lizzy Ferguson 2, Brooke Bryan 1, Mia Toscano 1, Jordan Sheive 1

Liberty Assists: Leah Ruby 3, Jordan Baerga 2, Brooke Bryan 1, Alexa Evernham 1, Jordan Sheive 1, Mia Toscano 1

Cal Goals: Liz Scott 4, Olivia Dey 2, Maya Lawliss 2, Nikki Zaccaro 1, Megan Mix 1, Amanda Morse 1, Kennedy Mason 1, Kate Rothman 1

Cal Assists: Nikki Zaccaro 5, Lily Berger 1, Megan Mix 1, Catherine Roxas 1, Belle Tiesi 1

Goalkeepers

W: Jennifer Soriero 4-3, nine saves

L: Riley Drullinger 0-7, eight saves

Turning Point

Liberty led 10-8 early in the fourth quarter before scoring three straight goals to take a 13-8 lead. Lizzy Ferguson (13:11 mark), Mia Toscano (12:41 mark) and Baerga did the scoring in that span.

After Cal drew within three, 14-11, with 6:02 left, Banks scored back-to-back goals with 4:00 and 2:54 to play in the game to push the Liberty lead back to five, 16-11. Her free-position goal at the 2:54 mark gave her the hat trick. Coming into today, Banks had scored two goals in a game on five occasions.

First Half Summary

• Liberty raced out to an early 3-0 lead in the game's first 5:09. For the second straight game, Ferguson won the opening draw and scored the first goal of the contest, doing so at the 14:26 mark. The Lady Flames' Olivia Glaze and Cami Merkel followed up Ferguson's effort with goals of their own, with Merkel's marker at the 9:51 mark extending the lead to three goals.

• The Lady Flames led 4-2 after one quarter. Both teams attempted 16 shots in the first 30 minutes. Soriero made six of her nine saves in the opening half.

Second Half Summary

• Liberty outscored Cal 3-2 in the third quarter and led 10-7 after 45 minutes of action. Cal got within one following a Nikki Zaccaro goal with 5:25 on the clock, but the Lady Flames closed the quarter strong with goals from Glaze (2:00 mark) and Baerga (0:50 mark) to distance themselves.

• Banks scored back-to-back goals with 4:00 and 2:54 to play in the game to push the Liberty lead back to five, 16-11. Her free-position goal at the 2:54 mark gave her the hat trick. Coming into today, Banks had scored two goals in a game on five occasions.

• The fourth quarter proved to be the highest scoring quarter of the contest, with the two teams combining for 13 goals in the frame. Liberty outscored Cal 7-6 in the final 15 minutes. The Lady Flames' seven fourth quarter goals were the second most in a quarter this season, behind only their eight-goal first quarter versus Old Dominion on March 2.

Key Stats & Notes

• The Lady Flames were successful on 17-of-20 clear attempts (85 percent), compared to 13-of-18 for the Golden Bears (72.2 percent).

• Liberty outshot Cal 34-31 in the contest. The Lady Flames have yet to be outshot in any game this season, outshooting their counterparts in six games and recording the same amount of shots as their opponents twice.

• Cal held edges in draw controls (20-15), ground balls (21-20) and caused turnovers (11-7). Liberty's Ferguson led all players with a game-high six draw controls. Toscano shared game-high honors with four ground balls in the contest.

• Liberty never trailed in the game and led by as many as five twice in the fourth quarter.

• Attacker Leah Ruby matched a career high with two assists, while Baerga's two assists matched a career high. Baerga has 18 goals (tied for team high) and four assists on the season for 22 points in eight games. The attacker recorded 19 total points (15 g, 4 a) in 18 games in 2021.

Up Next

• Liberty will be back in action a week from today (next Sunday) at Cincinnati (3-5). First draw between the Lady Flames and Bearcats will take place at noon at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

• Liberty is 1-2 all-time versus Cincinnati. The Lady Flames topped the Bearcats 14-10 in the last meeting a season ago (Feb. 24, 2021).