FIELD HOCKEY GAME (2-5, 0-0 MAC) LADY FLAMES TO HOST VILLANOVA AND KENT STATE, THIS WEEKEND LADY FLAMES NEWS AND NOTES

Transcription

1 FIELD 2017 GAME Bill Smith, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant Office: (434) Cell: (847) LIBERTY FLAMES (1-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) V S LADY FLAMES TO HOST VILLANOVA AND KENT STATE, THIS WEEKEND The Liberty field hockey squad will play matches in consecutive days on its home turf, Saturday and Sunday. The Lady Flames will face Villanova and Kent State Liberty (1-3) will commence BIG EAST competition against the Villanova Wildcats (1-5) on Saturday at 1 p.m. and then host the Kent State Golden Flashes (2-5), Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Liberty Field Hockey Field. The Lady Flames played their inaugural game in the BIG EAST against the Wildcats on Sept. 16, 2016, earning a 5-1 triumph in Conshohocken, Pa. Liberty and Kent State have never faced each other in a field hockey match. The Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN) will be carrying a live broadcast of both contests. Live statistics, courtesy of Liberty Athletics Communications, will be available for both games as well. Find the links on the field hockey schedule page on LibertyFlames.com. SERIES HISTORY Liberty is 2-0 all-time vs. Villanova and has never faced off against Kent State. PROJECTED LIBERTY STARTERS RICHARDSON 28 VAN AARLE 22 FORTENBAUGH 15 BOLTON 25 VILLANOVA WILDCATS (1-5, 0-0 BIG EAST) MORONI 17 DYKEMA 14 SCHAEFER KNOEBEL 00 1 LADY FLAMES NEWS AND NOTES Sophomore midfielder Agueda Moroni leads the squad in goals (4), shots (16) and shots on goal (10) through four contests. Moroni earned inclusion on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, Monday. Moroni is ninth in the country in goals per game (1.00) and 29th in points per game (2.00). Sophomore goalkeeper Allison Schaefer currently has 147 career saves, needing 60 more to surpass Mallory Cuccio (206 saves, ) for the all-time program career mark. Schaefer stands at No. 17 in DI in saves per game (6.25) and 50th in save percentage (.694). Freshman Jill Bolton tallied her first career goal, last Sunday vs. No. 6 Delaware. The Pennsylvania native scored on a penalty corner in the sixth minute. Liberty has been outshot, 62-34, so far this season, while opponents also hold a edge in penalty corners. Liberty was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST, behind only defending league champion UConn. BREMNER 16 O KEEFFE 26 KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES (2-5, 0-0 MAC) A. ROBERTS 4 1 JULIUS 10 GAME CENTRAL Locations: Liberty Field Hockey Field (750) 2017 SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME (EST) Aug. 26 vs. No. 19 James Madison Lynchburg, Va. L, 1-3 Sept. 1 at No. 11 Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. L, 0-3 Sept. 8 at Longwood Farmville, Va. W, 3-2 Sept. 10 vs. No. 6 Delaware Lynchburg, Va. L, 2-3 Sept. 16 vs. Villanova* Lynchburg, Va. 1 p.m. Sept. 17 vs. Kent State Lynchburg, VA. 1 p.m. Sept. 22 at Quinnipiac* Hamden, Conn. 3 p.m. Sept. 24 at Yale New Haven, Conn. 2 p.m. Sept. 29 vs. Old Dominion* Lynchburg, Va. 4 p.m. Oct. 1 at Wake Forest Winston-Salem, N.C. 1 p.m. Oct. 6 at Georgetown* Washington, D.C. 2 p.m. Oct. 8 at Maryland College Park, M.D. 1 p.m. Oct. 14 vs. Connecticut* Lynchburg, Va. 1 p.m. Oct. 20 vs. Providence* Lynchburg, Va. 3 p.m. Oct. 22 vs. Duke Lynchburg, Va. 1 p.m. Oct. 27 at Temple* Philadelphia, Pa. 5 p.m. Oct. 29 vs. North Carolina Lynchburg, Va. 1 p.m. Nov. 3-5 BIG EAST Championship Providence, R.I. TBA * Denotes BIG EAST Conference game Games listed in EST time 2017 TEAM STATS vs. 1-3 W-L GOALS GPG SOG-ATT SHOT % SPG PENALTY- CORNERS PENALTY STROKES GAME INFORMATION LIVE STATS Saturday Live Stats Sunday Live Stats WATCH URL: CARDS (G-Y-R)

2 Seniors (L-R) - Alynn Richardson, Cassidy Bremner, Monica Hernick, Summer Parker, Rachel Suter, Zosia Roberts Juniors (L-R) - Lindsay Pratt, Pippa Best, Agueda Moroni, Greer Wilson, Moniek van Aarle Sophomores (L-R) - Jenny Kurlej, Annika Roberts, Merich Frizzell, Allison Schaefer, Sydney Baffone, Mallory Fortenbaugh, Kendra Jones Freshmen (L-R) - Alexis Paone, Jordyn Keller, Ashley Dykema, Jill Bolton, Kennedy Luke, Ali Raha, Victoria O Keeffe, Carolyn Haase SCOUTING VILLANOVA On the attack, the Wildcats are paced by senior forward Francesca Bello (3 g, 2 a, 8 pts) and junior forward Lydia Sydnor (4 g, 8 pts). Villanova ranks ninth Parsley in the country in penalty corners per game (8.17) and 38th in points per game (6.17) while averaging 2.17 goals per contest. The defense is led by Christen Pennington, who has two goals and a defensive save to her credit. Erika Miller (1-4, 3.49 GAA, 27 saves) has seen the bulk of the time in goal for the Wildcats and 22nd-year head coach Joanie Milhous. Milhous owns 196 career victories at the helm for the Villanova field hockey program. The Wildcats finished with a 2-5 record in BIG EAST play in SCOUTING KENT STATE The Golden Flashes have faced three ranked opponents, No. 9 Louisville, No. 14 Northwestern and No. 23 Ohio State, in the early stages of the 2017 campaign. They defeated the Buckeyes, 2-1, on Sept. 5 on the road while suffering setbacks to the Cardinals and Wildcats. Offensively, senior Ines Delpech leads the team with three goals, while senior Jessica Nesbitt and freshman Clara Rodriguez Setó pace the squad with three assists apiece. Kent State head coach Kathleen Wiler has utilized a pair of freshman in goal in Kylie LeBlanc and Azure Fernsler. LeBlanc holds a 1.75 goals-against-average and has made 20 saves to lead the duo. Wiler has guided the Golden Flashes to eight MAC regular-season crowns in 11 years. Kent State will be looking to advance to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight year in NEW ERA OF LIBERTY FIELD HOCKEY Nikki Parsley is in her first season at the helm for Liberty field hockey. Parsley spent the 2016 season as an assistant coach for the Lady Flames and the two previous seasons (2014, 2015) as an assistant at Yale. Parsley enjoyed a successful four-year playing career at Northwestern prior to getting her start in coaching. Parsley picked up her first career win as a head coach, last Friday at Longwood. LIBERTY NOTES LADY FLAMES FIRSTS Freshman Jill Bolton recorded her career first assist and first goal, last week. The Pennsylvania native assisted on fellow freshman Victoria O Keeffe s first career goal, a game-winning goal, at Longwood, last Friday. On Sunday, Bolton put Liberty ahead, 2-0, on defending national champion No. 6 Delaware with a short corner goal. Sophomore defender Mallory Fortenbaugh notched her first assist of 2017 on Bolton s marker. THOUGHTS FROM THE PLAYERS I feel really confident about the upcoming weekend because we have been able to learn a lot from our past games, which puts us in a very good place for the first conference game. I cannot wait to take the first step towards a BIG EAST title on Saturday. Sophomore Midfielder Agueda Moroni Delaware was a tough loss, but we can only go up from the great competiton they gave us and take that into practice this week and the two games this weekend. I think the whole team is super excited going into this weekend. With our first conference game against Villanova on Saturday, we re ready to come out with a strong win! Freshman Defender/Midfielder Jill Bolton ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNEES Last year, Liberty garnered five BIG EAST All- Conference selections. Returning to this year s squad are three All-BIG EAST selections, led by 2016 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Allison Schaefer. Liberty also returns All-BIG EAST first team honoree Agueda Moroni and All-BIG EAST second team selection Abby Julius. CHALLENGING 2017 SCHEDULE Liberty has already faced three ranked foes, so far this season: No. 19 JMU, No. 11 Michigan and No. 6 Delaware. The Lady Flames take on five of the top six teams in the preseason NFHCA rankings and nine preseason ranked opponents overall. Liberty will welcome preseason No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Duke and No. 4 UConn to Lynchburg. Other preseason ranked opponents include: No. 6 Maryland (road), No. 15 Wake Forest (road) and No. 23 Old Dominion (road). Last season, Liberty faced 10 ranked opponents. 2

3 QUICK FACTS School... Liberty University Location...Lynchburg, Va. Founded Enrollment...15,000 Nickname... Flames Colors... Red, White & Blue Affiliation... NCAA Division I Conference...BIG EAST Home Facility... Liberty Field Hockey Field (750) President... Jerry Falwell Jr. Director of Athletics...Ian McCaw Head Coach...Nikki Parsley (1st Season) Alma Mater... Northwestern 2014 Career Record Liberty Record BIG EAST Record lparsley@liberty.edu Assistant Coach...Jacki Bolt(6th Season) Alma Mater... Richmond 2004 Assistant Coach... Natalie Barr (2nd Season) Alma Mater...Liberty 2016 Director of Operations...Courtney Hall Alma Mater...Liberty, 2011 Strength & Conditioning Coach... Karyl Wiese Alma Mater...Liberty, Overall Record BIG EAST Record/Finish /2nd Starters Returning/Lost...9/2 Letterwinners Returning/Lost...17/3 Newcomers Big EAST Tournament Championships...0 BIG EAST Regular Season Championships...0 NorPac Tournament Championships...2 NCAA Tournament Appearances...2 Program All-Americans...2 Field Hockey Contact...Bill Smith Office Phone...(434) wsmith51@liberty.edu Mailing Address University Blvd....Lynchburg, VA Website...LibertyFlames.com Liberty Athletics Facebook.../LibertyFlamesAthletics Liberty Athletics Liberty Athletics Liberty Field Hockey Twitter...@LibertyFH Liberty Field Hockey Credentials All members of the office follow the guidelines set forth by the NCAA and the Big South Conference in governing the issuance of credentials. All credential requests should be submitted to the sport contacts. Releases, game notes and advisories are ed to media that cover Liberty on a regular basis. Media wishing to be added to the list for a particular sport should contact wsmith51@liberty.edu LADY FLAMES TABBED 2ND IN BIG EAST The Lady Flames have been picked second in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll, behind 2016 league champion Connecticut. Liberty received one first-place vote. The Lady Flames have been picked to finish runner-up in the conference in each of the last two years. UConn has moved up to No. 1 in the country, this week, after starting the season 5-0. MORONI, JULIUS ALL-BIG EAST TEAM Liberty sophomore Agueda Moroni and junior Abby Julius garnered individual recognition by being voted to the preseason All-BIG EAST team. Moroni was a first team All-BIG EAST selection in 2016, leading all conference players with eight goals in seven regular-season contests. Julius tallied Moroni five goals, four assists and 14 points in BIG EAST action, last year. Moroni leads the squad with four goals, this season. She tallied three goals in two games, last week and earned inclusion on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. SCHAEFER CHASING HISTORY/TOP CA- REER GOAL SCORERS The sophomore currently has 149 saves and needs 58 more to surpass Mallory Cuccio ( ) for the all-time program mark for saves in a career. Alynn Richardson and Agueda Moroni both have 14 career goals and are the team s active leaders. Rank Player (Years Played) Saves 1. Mallory Cuccio ( ) Ann Jefferis ( ) Allison Schaefer (2016-Present) Brooke Morley 47 Rank Player Goals 1. Agueda Moroni Alynn Richardson Abby Julius 8 4. Pippa Best 6 LIBERTY NOTES (CONT.) BIG EAST CONFERENCE STANDINGS RANK SCHOOL/OVERALL RECORD BIG EAST RECORD 1 Liberty No. 1 Connecticut Old Dominion Providence Temple Quinnipiac Villanova Georgetown 0-0 BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES POLL RANK SCHOOL (FIRST PLACE VOTES) CURRENT RECORD 1 No. 1 Connecticut (7) Liberty (1) Old Dominion Providence Temple Quinnipiac Villanova Georgetown 4-2 BIG EAST PRESEASON HONORS Offensive Player of the Year: Charlotte Veitner, UConn Defensive Player of the Year: Casey Umstead, UConn Preseason ALL-BIG EAST Team Fresco Bello, Villanova, Sr., F Danielle Grega, Old Dominion, Sr., F * Megan Hamilton, Providence, Sr., F/M Barbara van den Hoogen, Connecticut, So., M Abby Julius, Liberty, Jr., M * Nina Klein, Connecticut, Sr., GK Agueda Moroni, Liberty, So., M Rachel Mueller, Temple, Sr., M Floor Rozemeijer, Providence, So., D Casey Umstead, Connecticut, Sr., D * Charlotte Veitner, Connecticut, Sr., F * *unanimous selection ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY Liberty is the largest Christian university, founded in 1971 and located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Pastor Jerry Falwell Sr. founded the university. The university sponsors 20 sports as of the academic year. Liberty is nearing completion of a billion dollar campus transformation. Liberty has been approved for its FBS Reclassification process. 3

4 THE PARSLEY FILE HEAD COACH First Season as Head Coach at Liberty Alma Mater: Northwestern, 14 COACHING RECORD Year School Record 2017 Liberty 1-3 Career Record: 1-3 Record at Liberty: 1-3 COACHING LEDGER 2017-Present...Liberty (Head Coach) Liberty (Assistant Coach) Yale (Assistant Coach) HEAD COACH NIKKI PARSLEY One year after joining Liberty s staff as an assistant coach, Nikki Parsley was named the program s second head coach on January 16, Parsley joined Liberty s staff as an assistant coach on May 1 in time for Liberty s first season as a part of the BIG EAST Conference. Parsley becomes the second head coach in the history of the program, taking over for program founder Jodi Murphy, who left in December During her first season with the Lady Flames, Parsley helped Liberty post an 8-10 record and finish in second place in the BIG EAST with a 5-2 conference mark. The Lady Flames squared off against 10 nationally ranked opponents in 2016, spotlighted by a 2-1 overtime victory against No. 20 American on Oct. 6. Parsley helped instruct five of Liberty s All-BIG EAST selections in 2016, including BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Allison Schaefer and BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year Serena Barr. Barr also went on to earn NFHCA Division I All-America second team honors, becoming the second All- American in program history. From the moment I stepped on campus, I knew there was something unbelievably special about Liberty University and its field hockey program, commented Parsley. I truly believe Liberty is set apart from any other institution in the country to allow the school to glorify Jesus Christ. There is absolutely no place I would rather coach at than Liberty, and I m blessed for the opportunity to lead such a unique group of young women. Parsley came to Liberty after spending the 2014 and 2015 seasons as an assistant coach at Yale. Prior to her two-year stint at Yale, Parsley concluded a standout career at Northwestern in 2014, where she earned second team All-America honors as a senior. Parsley was a four-time All-West region pick and a three-time All-Big 10 selection. A forward/midfielder, Parsley started 76 games, totaling 33 goals and 76 points. The Wildcats went in Parsley s playing career, earning a share of the Big Ten championship in Parsley also has extensive experience with USA Field Hockey, including playing for the U.S. at the Four Nations Tournament in New Zealand in April She also played on the junior national team at the Junior World Cup in Germany in August 2013, helping the U.S. to a seventh-place finish, tied for the best in the team s history. In January 2013, Parsley played in the Australian Youth Olympics, and in September 2012 she played in the Junior Pan American Games in Mexico. She helped the U.S. to a third-place finish at the Junior Pan Am Games, leading the team with eight goals. Parsley has also played for the U.S. U-21 team (on a tour of England in April 2012) and the U.S. U-19 team (on a tour of Chile in April 2011). Parsley received her B.S. in education and social policy from Northwestern in She earned Academic All-Big Ten honors three times, was on the Dean s List three times and was also a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. Originally from Millford, Del., Parsley resides in Lynchburg. ASSISTANT COACHES JACKI BOLT Assistant Coach Enters her 6th season at Liberty. Coached at Liberty for five years ( ) before spending one year at William & Mary (2016) before returning to Liberty NATALIE BARR Assistant Coach Enters her 2nd season at Liberty after a decorated four-year playing career for the Lady Flames field hockey program. Parsley Playing Career Second team All-American honoree as a senior at Northwestern Four-time All-West region pick and three-time All-Big 10 selection Made 76 career starts for the Wildcats, tallying 33 goals and 76 points Bolt Playing Career Standout goalie at Richmond who finished third-all time in career GAA Recorded six shutouts as senior and led team to A-10 title and NCAA Tournament appearance Barr Playing Career NFHCA Division I All-America third team in 2015, the first All-American in Liberty field hockey program history Lady Flames all-time school leader in goals (54), points (134), shots (308) and game-winning goals (10) LIBERTY FIELD HOCKEY FIELD Serving as the home field for Liberty s field hockey program, the Liberty Field Hockey Field opened in Sept The facility has a seating capacity of 750 and features a Poligras Olympia COOLPLUS turf system, a water-based surface preferred for field hockey competition. 4

5 NO. NAME POS. HT. YR. HOMETOWN H.S. / PREVIOUS 00 Allison Schaefer GK 5-9 So. Millersville, Pa. Penn Manor HS 1 Greer Wilson M 5-4 Jr. Brisbane, Australia Vermont 3 Lindsay Pratt F 5-2 Jr. West Chester, Pa. West Chester East HS 4 Annika Roberts D 5-5 So. Landenberg, Pa. Wilmington Christian HS 5 Jordyn Keller M/F 5-9 Fr. Yorktown, Va. York HS 6 Summer Parker M 5-3 Sr. Suffolk, Va. Lakeland HS 7 Kendra Jones F 5-1 So. Mohnton, Pa. Twin Valley HS 8 Zosia Roberts M 5-8 So. Landenberg, Pa. Wilmington Christian HS 10 Abby Julius M 5-7 Jr. Hummelstown, Pa. Lower Dauphin HS 11 Merich Frizzell F 5-9 So. Tulsa, Okla. Holland Hill HS 14 Ashley Dykema D 5-11 Fr. Newport News, Va. Homeschooled 15 Mallory Fortenbaugh D 5-9 So. Millerstown, Pa. Greenwood HS 16 Cassidy Bremner M/D 5-2 Sr. Delta, British Columbia Delta Secondary HS 17 Agueda Moroni M 5-4 So. Cordoba, Argentina University of Belgrano HS 18 Pippa Best D/F 5-4 Jr. Lisburn, Northern Ireland The Royal School, Armagh 19 Alexis Paone M 5-6 Fr. Marmora, N.J. Ocean City HS 20 Jenny Kurlej F 5-4 So. Hockessin, Del. Wilmington Christian HS 21 Carolyn Haase M/D 5-4 Fr. Worthington, Ohio Worthington Kilbourne HS 22 Moniek van Aarle F 5-7 Gr. Schijndel, Netherlands Maastrict University 23 Sydney Baffone M/F 5-7 So. Newark, Del. Wilmington Christian HS 24 Ali Raha D 5-10 Fr. Newport News, Va. Homeschooled 25 Jill Bolton D/M 5-10 Fr. Souderton, Pa. Dock Mennonite Academy 26 Victoria O Keeffe F 5-7 Fr. Wellington, New Zealand Samuel Marsden Collegiate School 28 Alynn Richardson M/F 5-3 Sr. Glendale, Mo. Homeschooled 30 Rachel Suter D 5-3 Sr. Millersville, Pa. Penn Manor HS 72 Kennedy Luke GK 5-6 Fr. New Hope, Pa. New Hope-Solebury HS 86 Monica Hernick GK 5-7 Sr. Moorestown, N.J. Moorestown HS Head Coach: Nikki Parsley Northwestern (2014), 1st Season Assistant Coach: Jacki Bolt Richmond (2010), 6th Season Assistant Coach: Natalie Barr Liberty (2016), 2nd Season 2017 LIBERTY FLAMES ROSTER PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Annika Roberts Zosia Roberts Merich Frizzell Ashley Dykema Mallory Fortenbaugh Agueda Moroni Pippa Best Alexis Paone Jenny Kurlej Carolyn Haase Moniek van Aarle Sydney Baffone Ali Raha Alynn Richardson Rachel Suter (AH-ni-ka) (ZOSH-uh) (MAIR-ick Fri-ZELL) (DIE-ka-ma) (Fort-en-BAW) (AH-ghee) (Pip-UH) (PAY-own) (Kur-LAY) (Haase rhymes with race) (MOW-neek van Air-LAY) (Bah-PHONE) (RAH-hah) (UH-lynn) (SUE-ter) ROSTER BREAKDOWN Total: 27 players BY GRADE Graduate...1 Senior... 5 Junior... 4 Sophomore... 8 Freshman... 9 BY HOME STATE/COUNTRY Argentina...1 Australia...1 Canada...1 Delaware... 2 Missouri...1 Netherlands...1 New Jersey...2 New Zealand...1 Northern Ireland...1 Ohio...1 Oklahoma...1 Pennsylvania...10 Virginia...4 5

6 WOMEN S FIELD HOCKEY SOCCER GAME GAMES NOTES NOTES 2017 Liberty Field Hockey Liberty Combined Team Statistics (as of Sep 12, 2017) All games RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL ALL GAMES CONFERENCE NON-CONFERENCE Date Opponent Score Att. Aug 26 #19 JAMES MADISON L Sep 01 at #11 Michigan L Sep 08 at Longwood W Sep 10 #6 DELAWARE L TEAM STATISTICS LIBERTY OPP SHOT STATISTICS Goals-Shot attempts Goals scored per game Shot pct Shots on goal-attempts SOG pct Shots/Game PENALTY CORNERS PENALTY STROKES PENALTIES Green cards 6 4 Yellow cards 0 0 Red cards 0 0 ATTENDANCE Total Dates/Avg Per Date 2/372 2/462 Neutral Site #/Avg 0/0 ## Player gp g a pts sh sh% sog sog% gw ps-att dsv 17 MORONI, Agueda BOLTON, Jill O'KEEFFE, Victoria FORTENBAUGH, Mallor RICHARDSON, Alynn JULIUS, Abby PRATT, Lindsay VAN AARLE, Moniek BEST, Pippa PARKER, Summer HAASE, Carolyn PAONE, Alexis BREMNER, Cassidy DYKEMA, Ashley ROBERTS, Zosia KELLER, Jordyn ROBERTS, Annika WILSON, Greer Total Opponents ## Goalie GP Min. GA GAAvg Saves Pct W-L-T Sho 00 SCHAEFER, Allison 4 280: /0 Total 4 280: Opponents 4 280: Goals by Period 1st 2nd Total Liberty Opponents Shots by Period 1st 2nd Total Liberty Opponents Saves by Period 1st 2nd Total Liberty Opponents Corners by Period 1st 2nd Total Liberty Opponents