Liberty field hockey rises to No. 14 after landmark home win over North Carolina
The Lady Flames have won four straight field-hockey games and head to Providence after their first home victory over UNC.
Liberty’s field-hockey team climbed to No. 14 in Tuesday’s Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll after a home victory over North Carolina extended its winning streak to four games. The Lady Flames received 90 points in the October 13 poll, moving up three places from No. 17.
The ranking follows a 2–1 win over then-No. 9 North Carolina on October 11, Liberty’s first home victory against the Tar Heels. It also supplied the Lady Flames’ first top-10 win of the season, according to the university’s official recap. Liberty enters its next conference trip at 9–4 overall and 2–1 in the BIG EAST.
Sunday’s separation came in the second quarter. Josefina Tomasi opened the scoring at 15:51 after Pia Iapichino delivered a pass through the North Carolina defense. Liz Bustillo doubled the lead at 21:56, finishing Mia Santana’s crossing pass for the first goal of her college career. Liberty carried that 2–0 advantage into halftime.
The two-goal lead mattered when the visitors pushed back. Early in the fourth quarter, Kyleigh Faust made a defensive save after North Carolina’s Ryleigh Heck lifted a shot over goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin. Charly Bruder later scored from a penalty corner in the 53rd minute, bringing the Tar Heels within a goal. Liberty finished with the lead intact.
The result capped a productive home weekend. Two days earlier, Liberty had trailed Georgetown 2–0 before scoring four unanswered goals for a 4–2 win. Tomasi supplied the go-ahead goal in that comeback, and the UNC match brought her seventh goal of the season.
Tomasi and Santana were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Tuesday. The award was Santana’s first weekly conference recognition, while Tomasi was selected for a second consecutive week. The honors reflect contributions across both home wins, including Santana’s assist on Bustillo’s first career goal.
Liberty’s official schedule lists its next game at Providence on Friday, October 16, at 2 p.m. Eastern. Temple visits Lynchburg on October 23 before Duke follows on October 25. The Lady Flames now have a national ranking that reflects their recent results; Friday offers the next opportunity to sustain that progress in conference play.