No. 1 Seed Liberty Moves into ASUN Title Game with 3-1 Win over No. 5 Seed EKU

The No. 1 seed Liberty Lady Flames advanced to the ASUN title game with a 3-1 victory over the No. 5 seed Eastern Kentucky Colonels, Sunday afternoon at Osborne Stadium.

Trailing 1-0 early, Liberty struck back with two goals right before halftime and then added another in the second half for the 3-1 win to move into the ASUN final for the second time in three seasons.

Chloe Marr scored Liberty's first two goals, just 51 seconds apart, to give the Lady Flames a 2-1 edge after the first 45 minutes and Rachel DeRuby scored in the second half for Liberty.

With its victory, Liberty extends its program-record unbeaten streak (10-0-2) to 12 consecutive games, advances to its 12^th conference championship game in program history and moves to 14-3-3 on the year. Eastern Kentucky finishes its season with a 9-8-2 record.

Scoring Summary

6' – EKU – Gretta Gunn (Assisted by Maddy Lemery)

33' – LIBERTY – Chloe Marr (Assisted by Bridie Herman and Briana Myers)

34' – LIBERTY – Chloe Marr (Assisted by Halle Engle)

63' – LIBERTY – Rachel DeRuby (Assisted by Saydie Holland and Halle Engle)

Thoughts from Head Coach Lang Wedemeyer

"It was a battle with us giving up an early goal. I was really proud of how the girls fought back. Chloe Marr was huge for us. I am just really proud of that effort [by the team]. We got great contributions from different players. To God be the glory!"

Turning Point

After tying the match at 1-1 with a goal during the 33^rd minute, Marr struck again for her second goal of the game just 51 seconds later. Halle Engle won a scramble for a loose ball in the midfield and passed the ball forward to Marr alone without any Colonel defenders near her. The junior forward moved down the left side of the field and into the 18-yard box, where she ripped a shot into the left side of the net for a 2-1 Liberty lead.

Key Stats & Notes

• Liberty will play for the ASUN title for the second time in three years. The Lady Flames won the ASUN title in the Spring 2021 season with a 1-0 overtime win over Kennesaw State on April 17, 2021.
• The Lady Flames move into their 12^th conference title game in program history. Liberty has won a conference title seven times.
• Liberty extends its program-record unbeaten streak to 12 games. The Lady Flames have not lost since Sept. 11 at Pitt (3-2).
• The Lady Flames have won three straight contests and 10 out of their last 11 games.
• Eastern Kentucky's goal was the first goal allowed by Liberty since Oct. 11 in a 2-1 win at Jacksonville. The Lady Flames had not given up a goal over a period of 321:27.
• Liberty outshot Eastern Kentucky, 11-6, in the match. The Flames also had a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks.
• Marr scores two goals in a game for the first time in her career and now has three on the season. The forward becomes the fourth Lady Flame to score two goals in a game this season. She joins Saydie Holland, who netted two goals in Liberty's ASUN Quarterfinal win over Jacksonville on Friday and freshmen Halle Engle and Allison Hansford who netted two goals apiece in Liberty's 6-0 win over Central Arkansas on Sept. 29.
• ASUN All-Conference first team midfielder DeRuby tied for the team lead in goals with her sixth of the season in the match.
• ASUN All-Conference forward Engle assisted on two goals in the contest for Liberty.
• ASUN All-Conference defender Bridie Herman assisted on Marr's first goal of the game, upping her team-leading points total to 14.
• ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year Ainsley Leja played all 90 minutes in the net for the Lady Flames and recorded two saves. Eastern Kentucky goalkeepers Carly Dean and Lauren Seedlock split time in the contest. Dean made one save during the first half. Seedlock came on to play the second half and did not record a save.

Next Up

Liberty will host No. 2 seed FGCU in the ASUN title game on Friday at Osborne Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.