Down go the Noles

Men’s lacrosse upsets No. 7 Florida State

The Liberty University men’s lacrosse team (5-4) continued its 26-game home winning streak that has extended for four years after outscoring No. 7 Florida State (10-2) 11-7 March 31.

“This is the first ranked opponent that we have beaten this season,” senior midfielder Brett Wood said.

“Especially going into the SELCs, this is huge because Florida State is 18 ranks higher than us. I think the guys are starting to pick up how good yet how young this team is.”

The Flames dominated the entire game as the Seminoles never took the lead.

The game was only tied once, which happened early in the second quarter after Florida State attacker Carter Torgerson scored a goal, tying the game at 2-2.   

The Flames started strong with the first goal of the game being scored by senior attacker Nicholas Lombardozzi.

He had two goals in the game — his second coming late in the third quarter.

The Flames second goal of the first quarter came from freshman attacker Caleb Britton who was able to utilize the fast break created from a Florida State turnover.

This goal was just one of his five goals of the half.

Turnovers were a huge factor for the Seminoles.

Offside penalties and incomplete passes faulted the Florida State offense, allowing the Flames to capitalize.

“There were a lot of opportunities that were created off of Florida State’s mistakes,” Liberty Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said.

“They would have gone unnoticed potentially, but we were able to turn them into goals, and that was the difference maker in tonight’s game.”

Britton scored four more goals in the second quarter.

He scored at the 2:53 mark and then again with just 2.3 seconds to go before the half to give Liberty a 7-2 halftime advantage.

“Tonight I did not see a bunch of freshman out there,” McQuillan said.

“I saw seasoned guys that have been there and done that and are rarely intimidated by a top-ranked team.”

During the start of the third quarter, the Flames were not able to take charge like they did in the first half.

Florida State scored a goal early on and won a few big face-offs.

Two penalties were called on Liberty, giving Florida State a two-man advantage.

This resulted in a power play goal by Florida State’s Davis Goodman.

Liberty came back around the six-minute mark with a goal by Lombardozzi to extend the lead 8-4.

“Coming out of (the) half is always the time that you are worried — especially if you have a lead — but the guys responded well,” McQuillan said.

“There was not a point where Florida State was able to run away with things. We were able to match them goal for goal at least in the second half.”

Liberty was able to hold Florida State in the fourth quarter with two more goals from freshman mid-fielder Carter Elliot and sophomore attacker Sam Gregory.

“We really just played as a team,” Wood said.

“This is probably our first game where we really bonded and everybody stepped up and played as a team. It was really exciting to see how much we could accomplish.”

This game was critical for both the Flames and Florida State as the Seminoles had only previously lost to No. 1 Georgia Tech.

“I would be lying if I said this was not my favorite rivalry,” McQuillan said.

“Florida State always gives us a good game. We have beaten them every time on our turf, and they have beaten us every time on their turf. And we always meet up in the playoffs. It is a rivalry that I hope we can continue to move forward with.”

The Flames will host Davenport University at 11:59 p.m. April 7 for their final regular season  home game.

COPELAND is a sports reporter.