LYNCHBURG, Va. – A pair of second-half goals carried Liberty (7-0, 6-0 BIG EAST) past the visiting Old Dominion field hockey team (4-3, 4-2) on Sunday.
"Overall, it was a much better game for us today," head coach Andrew Griffiths said. "It fits our pattern of improvements in the second game of back-to-backs, so I'm pleased with that. Rina Tsioles had another outstanding game for us and played every minute in the midfield this weekend."
After an evenly-contested first half, the Flames needed only 57 seconds to break the deadlock in the third quarter. Daniella Rhodes scored her 11th goal of the season to put the hosts ahead 1-0.
The Monarchs had a pair of chances to tie the game in the third quarter but did not capitalize. Marlon de Bruijne hit the post with a shot in the 37th minute, and Ilse Westera's shot was saved by Azul Iritxity Irigoyen in the dying seconds of the period.
Liberty tacked on an insurance goal less than 90 seconds into the fourth quarter by way of a forehand shot from Jill Bolton. From there, the Flames clamped down on ODU, holding the Monarchs without a shot attempt in the final period.
"We made two simple mental mistakes in the second half that led directly to goals, and Liberty did an excellent job of finishing those opportunities," Griffiths said. "After that we were chasing the game, and it opened up in the fourth quarter."
Old Dominion took aim at the Liberty goal in the opening stages of the match. De Bruijne drew a save from Iritxity Irigoyen at the 4:10 mark. Just over 30 seconds later, Riley Taylor was denied by the Flames goalkeeper. The Monarchs' strong start was punctuated by a penalty corner and a de Bruijne shot that sailed wide of the target.
"The first half we really controlled possession of the game and created some excellent chances," Griffiths said. "We missed two great opportunities that were essentially open goals, and in a tight game we can't afford to do that."
In the first 30 minutes, ODU had a slim 6-4 edge in total shots. For the game, the Flames outshot the Monarchs 15-8. Liberty was more clinical with its chances, putting 11 on target in comparison to Old Dominion's three.
Cam MacGillivray made a season-high nine saves. Iritxity Irigoyen stopped three shots.
The Monarchs will look to bounce back with a pair of neutral-site matches with Providence in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania on March 13 and March 14.
"It was a tough road weekend for us, but also a very good learning weekend," Griffiths said. "The team spirit is good and we are already looking for to playing them again on home turf in a few weeks."
Field Hockey Falls at Liberty, 2-0
