Liberty University
(5-0, 4-0BIG EAST)
Temple
(1-4, 0-4BIG EAST)
Lady Flames Blank Owls 2-0 for Second Straight Day
2/28/2021 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Liberty's Jodie Conolly and Daniella Rhodes scored goals on Sunday afternoon at Howarth Field, lifting the visiting Lady Flames to their second straight 2-0 shutout of Temple.
Liberty bolsters its overall record to 5-0 on the year and 4-0 in BIG EAST competition. The Lady Flames have now started 5-0 in a season three times (2015, 2019 and 2021). Meanwhile, Temple (1-4) falls to 0-4 in conference and has lost four straight.
The Lady Flames stay atop the BIG EAST standings, sharing first place with Old Dominion (4-1, 4-0 BIG EAST).
Lady Flames goalkeeper Santia McLaughlin (2-0) started in goal and made one save in her first career collegiate shutout.
Scoring Summary
4' – LIBERTY – Jodie Conolly (Bethany Dykema and Lizzie Hamlett) | Penalty Corner
59' – LIBERTY – Daniella Rhodes (Jill Bolton)
Goalkeepers
W: Santia McLaughlin 2-0, one save
L: Cristina Carotenuto 1-4, six saves
Turning Point
The Lady Flames wasted no time getting on the board in the early going after drawing their first penalty corner just over three minutes in. Following an insert from Bethany Dykema and stick stop from Lizzie Hamlett, Conolly ripped a shot into the left side of the cage for a 1-0 Liberty lead at 3:25. The goal was her second of the season.
After over 55 minutes of scoreless action, Liberty finally struck again with less than 90 seconds to play in the contest on a breakaway situation. Jill Bolton entered Temple territory up the left side and found an open Rhodes in front of the goal cage in a one-on-one situation with Owls goalkeeper Cristina Carotenuto. Rhodes gathered the ball and slipped a backhand shot past Carotenuto for a 2-0 Lady Flames lead at 58:46.
Key Stats & Notes
• Liberty held a 14-6 advantage in total shots and an 8-2 edge in shots on goal. The Lady Flames won the battle for penalty corners 8-4, with six of their eight coming in the final period.
• This is the first time Liberty has picked up back-to-back shutouts since Oct. 13 and 18, 2019, when the Lady Flames blanked both Longwood (3-0 final) and Georgetown (4-0 final) on the road.
• Conolly's goal was the 10th of her collegiate career between her time with Boston University (2019, 18 games) and Liberty (spring 2021 season, five game).
• Rhodes' goal was her team-leading eighth of the season and 21st career goal in only 23 games.
• Liberty junior defender Maddie Hosler made a key defensive save early in the second quarter to preserve a 1-0 advantage, her first career defensive save.
• The Lady Flames have won seven of eight all-time meetings against the Owls and are 6-0 in BIG EAST matches versus Temple. In those six league games, Liberty has outscored Temple 29-4.
Up Next
First place in the BIG EAST will be on the line when Liberty hosts Old Dominion for a two-game series, next weekend at the Liberty Field Hockey Field. The Lady Flames (5-0, 4-0 BIG EAST) and Monarchs (4-1, 4-0 BIG EAST) will face off at noon on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Team Stats
CONOLLY, Jodie (2)
Assisted By: DYKEMA, Bethany , HAMLETT, Lizzie
GOAL by LIBERTY CONOLLY, Jodie (FIRST GOAL), Assist by DYKEMA, Bethany and HAMLETT, Lizzie, goal number 2 for season.
3:25
RHODES, Daniella (1)
Assisted By: BOLTON, Jill
GOAL by LIBERTY RHODES, Daniella, Assist by BOLTON, Jill, goal number 1 for season.
58:46
