UConn’s three-goal run holds up against Liberty’s late push — September 25, 2026

Liberty scored first but could not recover from Connecticut’s three-goal response, falling 3–2 in its BIG EAST opener on Sept. 25 in Storrs. Lucy Zich scored twice for the seventh-ranked Huskies, whose lead survived a Liberty goal with 40 seconds remaining.

No. 14 Liberty dropped to 5–4 overall and 0–1 in conference play. UConn improved to 7–1 and 2–0 in the BIG EAST. Liberty’s official recap recounts a game in which the Lady Flames’ early advantage was reversed before halftime.

Alexia Guedouar put Liberty in front in the sixth minute after a blocked Luna Prieri shot. Lene Reiche converted a penalty stroke in the second quarter, and Zich then redirected an Olivia McKenna delivery to give the Huskies the lead.

Zich scored again from a penalty corner early in the third quarter. Liberty eventually removed goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin while trailing 3–1, and Paris-Gail Isaacs converted a Mia Santana-assisted corner in the final minute. The Lady Flames did not produce another shot before time expired.

The official box score lists eight shots for each team, with UConn ahead 5–4 in shots on goal and 7–4 in penalty corners. Six of the Huskies’ corners came after halftime, including four in the third quarter.

Liberty generated three fourth-quarter shots, but its second goal arrived too late to build a sustained equalizing push. The teams had also met in the previous season’s BIG EAST final, which Liberty won in overtime. This meeting instead left the Lady Flames seeking their first conference victory when they returned home to face Old Dominion.