Liberty field hockey team looks to make another deep run in Big East playoffs
On Friday, Oct. 27, the Liberty field hockey team traveled to Towson, Maryland to face Georgetown University in its final regular season game.
Liberty started strong on the offensive end, scoring within the first five minutes of play. Graduate forward Milly Arteta found the first goal of the game at 4:20, with assists from graduate defender Jodie Conolly and senior midfielder Reagan Underwood. With a scoreless second quarter, Liberty continued to hold a 1-0 lead over the Hoyas. Not only did the Flames lead on the scoreboard, but they dominated 10-0 in corners and 6-1 in shots on goal during the first half.
Coming out of the half, Liberty found its momentum again. With seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, sophomore forward Anna Miller netted her first goal of the season with an assist from senior midfielder Pima Iturraspe. Liberty cashed in another scoring opportunity during a corner after the clock ran out in the third quarter. Freshman defender Danielle Hamm scored, earning her first goal of the season, with assists from Underwood and graduate defender Bethany Dykema.
In the fourth, the Flames found two additional goals to seal their final regular season win. Dykema scored off a rebound at 9:04, and with less than six minutes remaining, redshirt freshman Kyleigh Faust capitalized on a penalty stroke and notched Liberty’s fifth and final goal of the game.
With the regular season now in the books, the group exits its 16-1 year with numerous accomplishments to reflect on. Liberty’s triumph over Georgetown allowed it to claim the title of Big East Regular Season Champions. Additionally, the Flames hold a No. 6 national ranking and will enter the Big East Championship Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
As the season progressed, senior Captain Lexi Hosler noticed that more underclassmen stepped into leadership roles and have grown in the game.
“We are finally finding how to work together,” Hosler said. “In that way, we are more selfless on the field and connecting (as a team).”
These connections have been a vital part of many important wins throughout the season. Liberty showcased its strength in a historic victory against the UNC Tar Heels, the No. 1 nationally ranked team at the time. Not only did this prove Liberty’s potential, but it allowed the team to improve for the future.
“As great as it was to beat the No. 1 team, we were able to take a lot of things out of that and kind of change a little bit of our attack in the next games,” Hosler said.
With each win, however, came additional pressure for the team on an 11-game winning streak.
“Everyone wants to play their best game against us,” Hosler said. “It doesn’t matter what team we play; we have to go in with the same mindset every time.”
With much to be proud of, the coaching staff has encouraged their team to remain grateful for the opportunities it has been given.
“God calls us to be grateful,” Flames Head Coach Nikki Parsley-Blocker said. “We could all be coaching or playing at a lot of different universities, but we all chose to come to Liberty because this is the family, program and mission that we believe in.”
Hosler noted the staff also reminds them to acknowledge their efforts.
“We have worked really hard to get here,” Hosler said. “It’s not that it was given to us, but we worked extremely hard to be in this position.”
As the regular season comes to a close, Parsley-Blocker knows there is a short time left in the season. She encourages the team to “soak up every minute, not let the moment get any bigger than it really is. Just be grateful for the opportunities that we do have.”
Liberty hopes to claim its third straight Big East Championship Tournament title. Last year, the Flames secured the championship title with senior goalkeeper Azul Iritxity earning the Big East Championship Most Outstanding Player.
If Liberty does secure the Big East Title once again, it would receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship tournament.
With high hopes of success this year, Parsley-Blocker knows that postseason success will not come without resilience.
“We can control how we show up every single day,” Parsley-Blocker said. “We just need to trust that the results are being taken care of by somebody bigger than ourselves.”
The Big East Championship tournament will be played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Temple’s Howarth field starting Nov. 3 and ending with the championship game Sunday, Nov. 5. Liberty will begin tournament play against No. 4 Villanova on Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. ET. The Flames met Villanova in Lynchburg earlier this season, claiming an enforcing 6-0 win in front of the home crowd.
German is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion