LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Villanova field hockey team fell on the road at #7 Liberty on Friday, October 31, 5-0, but secured a spot in the BIG EAST tournament beginning November 7 in Lynchburg, Va.
The Flames controlled the possession for the first 15 minutes. In the opening frame, Liberty had four shots with two coming on goal. LU was able to get one of the shots in the back of the cage 10 minutes into the first. Freshman
Sophie Volkel was able to stop the other shot on goal to keep the game 1-0 heading into the second.
In the second, it was more of an even defensive battle. Neither team was able to push the ball into the offensive end and keep possession. Liberty had the only two shots in the period, the long shot on goal was a score for the Flames to add to their lead with less than five minutes until halftime. The top ranked Flames led by two, going into the second half.
In the second half the Flames continued to control the possession and the pace of the game. LU put up 10 shots in the third period and were able to add another goal to their lead. Volkel continued to play well throughout the day and tallied seven saves in the third frame. Liberty led by three heading into the final period of play.
The final period was similar in terms of action with Liberty having the edge in shot attempts. The Flames added two more goals in the fourth period to obtain a 5-0 victory over the 'Cats. Volkel had a season high 12 saves in the game today despite the loss.
Despite the loss, Villanova secured a spot as the #4 seed in the BIG East tournament beginning November 7 thanks to Quinnipiac losing to UConn, 4-2, on Friday.
After the game, head coach
Joanie Milhous was excited about making the tournament and praised Volkel's performance:
"Really excited about making the tournament. Definitely didn't play our best today, but Liberty played very well. Our backs played exceptionally well today and generated a lot of attacks for us. Sophie played amazing, she had some really great saves."
Up Next: Villanova will play in the first round of the BIG EAST tournament on Friday, November 7 as they have a rematch with #7 Liberty in Lynchburg, Va.
