Liberty Women’s Lacrosse Wins Against Lindenwood University and Kennesaw State University

The Liberty Women’s Lacrosse team triumphed over Lindenwood University Thursday, April 10 in a 23-12 victory and Kennesaw State University Saturday, April 12, winning 22-18, at the Liberty Lacrosse Field. 

During the game against Lindenwood, the Lady Flames recognized their participation with Morgan’s Message, an organization dedicated to bringing awareness to athletes’ mental health and eliminating the stigma in student-athlete communities. 

Senior attacker Cami Merkel started the game off strong with back-to-back goals. Merkel’s first goal was assisted by junior midfielder Katie Colavito. After Merkel found the net yet again, junior midfielder Kendall Coss scored Liberty’s third goal before Lindenwood managed to collect a point.  

Merkel had a career-high performance, securing nine points, four goals and five assists as well as causing five turnovers against Lindenwood. Senior attacker Taiva Reinertson collected seven points, five goals and two assists during Thursday’s game.  

The Lady Flames went on a seven-goal streak, preventing Lindenwood from scoring for 13 minutes. During this time, two Lady Flames, Colavito and redshirt attacker Mackenzie Lehman, each capitalized on two goals.  

Holding a 10-1 lead, the Lady Flames’ sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Hines made several crucial saves. Hines collected a total of six saves and allowed 12 goals during the game.  

Lehman scored a goal with one second remaining in the second quarter, allowing the Lady Flames to hold a 16-7 lead going into halftime.  

In the third quarter, the Lady Flames collected five more points with three goals from Reinertson and one goal from both Colavito and Lehman. The Lady Lions were able to score three goals in a row, but they were not able to overcome their deficit.  

Heading into the fourth, the Lady Lions were able to score their final goal. The Lady Flames, not letting up, racked up two more points before ending the game with a final victory 23-12.  

“We can’t play at their pace. We have to force them to play our game,” Head Coach Kelly Nangle said. “I think we did a good job of that, so I am really proud of our girls for just committing to what we do and who we are.”  

In their second game of the week, the Lady Flames beat Kennesaw State 22-18. This game was senior day for the Lady Flames, honoring their graduating seniors with a ceremony to recognize the accomplishments of 10 student-athletes on the team. Each senior earned playing time in the game.  

Senior midfielder Celena Kerr started the game off with a goal. A Kennesaw goal followed, but the Lady Flames clapped back with three straight goals. Colavito and Merkel exchanged scoring and assisted one another for the first two goals, along with the third goal coming from Reinertson off an assist from Coss. 

“My teammates make it so easy,” Colavito said. “They are always picking up the ground ball if I turn it over. They are always getting open for me. They are always having my back, so they make it really easy.” 

Colavito collected five goals and three assists throughout Saturday’s competition. 

In the second quarter, the Lady Flames and the Lady Owls had some back-and-forth action, yet the Lady Flames were able to outscore them 7-5 for the quarter. Merkel was able to find back-to-back goals, while two goals came from Lehman and Colavito and freshman midfielder Olivia Young earned one. At the end of the first half, Liberty led 11-7.  

Senior goalkeeper Taylor Gallarello had five saves for the Lady Flames, allowing seven goals during the first half of the game. Coming in for relief, senior goalkeeper Mara Tellers had two saves and allowed five goals, and Hines had one save and allowed six goals as the two split playing time in the second half of the game.  

The Lady Flames punched out four goals in a row in the third quarter. The Lady Owls responded with four straight goals of their own, but it was still not enough to earn the lead. Merkel ended the third quarter, netting a goal with three seconds remaining on the clock.  

Heading into the fourth quarter, Kennesaw State started off with a goal. Coss began a rally in which another round of four straight goals were made for Liberty. Colavito found back-to-back goals then assisted senior attacker Brooke Beard with her behind-the-back goal as the crowd went wild.  

“She (Beard) throws the craziest trick shots,” Colavito said. “So I knew that as soon as I fed it in, I knew it was going to be something crazy, and she delivered.”  

Even though Kennesaw State responded with yet another round of four straight goals, the Lady Flames still came out victorious. Each team finished the final quarter with one more goal, ending the game in a Liberty win 22-18.  

The Lady Flames will travel to Harrisonburg to face James Madison University April 16 at 6 p.m. Stream on ESPN+. 

Youngworth is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.