Liberty University
(2-0)
Penn
(0-1)
Late Goals Lift Lady Flames Over Quakers
9/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
A pair of late goals delivered by Ashlee Krulock and Serena Barr lifted the Liberty Lady Flames to a 4-3 win over visiting Penn, Friday afternoon at the Liberty Field Hockey Field.
With the win, Liberty improves to 2-0 while Penn falls to 0-1 on the 2015 campaign. The Lady Flames improve to 2-1 all-time against the Quakers.
The contest began with a 45-minute lightning delay, followed by a 30-minute lightning delay just nine minutes into the contest. Just prior to the 30-minute delay, Bethany Barr netted her second goal of the season to claim an early 1-0 lead for the Lady Flames. Barr gathered the ball just inside the circle, lifting a shot into the upper right hand corner for the early advantage.
Coming out of the delay, the Lady Flames applied heavy pressure. In the 17th minute, Ashlee Krulock doubled Liberty's lead to 2-0 after ripping the ball into the bottom right corner following the rebound from Pippa Best's shot.
In the final six minutes of the first half, Penn gained momentum when Rachel Huang and Alexa Hoover each netted their first goals of the season to knot the contest at two apiece.
The Quakers maintained momentum throughout the beginning of the second half, outshooting Liberty 3-1. Hoover netted Penn's third unanswered goal in the 53rd minute to capture the Quakers' first lead of the contest, 3-2.
The Lady Flames used the final six minutes of play to net two goals and capture the second win of the season. With 5:41 remaining, Barr found a wide-open Krulock off the penalty corner. Barr corralled the ball along the edge of the circle, whipping a pass to Krulock who was standing alone on the right edge of the goal. Krulock placed her stick on the ground, redirecting the ball into the back of the net for the equalizer.
Just two minutes later, Serena Barr delivered what was eventually the game-winning goal. Barr intercepted a Penn clear attempt, dribbling the ball back into the circle. The Lurgan, Northern Ireland native ran to the left side of the circle, spinning around the defender to free herself. Barr then smashed a shot to the goalie's right side, sneaking the ball between the keeper and the pipe for the go-ahead goal.
Following a Liberty green card, the Quakers opted for a kicking back advantage to play a man up. The Lady Flames' defense held strong in the final minute, controlling the ball and gaining two penalty corners. The clock expired with Liberty possessing the ball on the short corner, solidifying the 4-3 victory.
Liberty continued to flash its offensive prowess early in the 2015 season, outshooting the Quakers 22-11, including 11-8 in shots on goal. The Lady Flames have now outscored opponents 10-6 in their first two contests.
Liberty also forced 11 penalty corners while only surrendering five for Penn.
Mallory Cuccio improves to 2-0 on the season, picking up her 27th win of her career. The senior goalkeeper notched five saves during the contest, bringing her to within 39 saves from passing Ann Jefferis for the most saves in program history.
Liberty returns to action on Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Lady Flames host Lafayette at the Liberty Field Hockey Field. Following Sunday's contest, Liberty will host Richmond Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a rematch of the 2014 NCAA Tournament Play-In game where the Lady Flames upended the Spiders by a score of 3-1 in Lynchburg, Va.
Team Stats
BARR, Bethany (2)
regained possession, shot just under cro
8:16
KRULOCK, Ashlee (1)
bottom right corner off the rebound
16:26
Hoover, Alexa (1)
Assisted By: Agathis, Alex
GOAL by PENN Hoover, Alexa, Assist by Agathis, Alex, goal number 1 for season.
29:29
Hoover, Alexa (2)
Assisted By: Garzio, Selena
GOAL by PENN Hoover, Alexa, Assist by Garzio, Selena, goal number 2 for season.
33:36
Hoover, Alexa (3)
Assisted By: Hitti, Elizabeth
pass redirected in front of the goalie
52:24
KRULOCK, Ashlee (2)
Assisted By: BARR, Bethany
passed from top left, tipped in far righ
64:19
BARR, Serena (1)
dribbled in, spun around defender and sh
66:15
