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the lady flames look to repeat and play high point, a team they beat 2-1 in the regular season. good luck to coah price and the ladies.
Defending Champion Lady Flames to Face High Point In Upcoming Big South Women's Soccer Championship
Lady Flames seeded third for 2006 Big South Championship.
October 29, 2006
Lynchburg, Va.
The Liberty Lady Flames will open defense of their Big South Women’s Soccer Championship against the High Point Panthers in the first round of the upcoming 2006 Big South Women’s Soccer Championship Thursday as the pairings for the tournament were announced with the end of conference’s regular season this afternoon.
The defending champion Lady Flames enter the Big South Championship as the conference’s No. 3 seed after posting a 5-2-1 conference record for 16 points. Liberty, 7-7-1 overall, has a 4-1-1 mark along with three shutouts in their last six contests. The High Point Panthers, Liberty’s opponent on Thursday, and the Radford Lady Highlanders finished tied at 3-5 in the conference standings with the Panthers receiving the No. 6 seed due to their regular season victory over the Lady Highlanders.
The Big South’s eighth-seed last season, Winthrop earned the conference’s top seed this season with a 6-1-1 league mark for 19 points. Championship host Coastal Carolina earns the No. 2 seed with its 6-2-0 (18 points) Big South record after winning 4-3 Saturday night at High Point. After the defending champion Lady Flames at the No. 3 seed, Birmingham-Southern captures the No. 4 seed with a 5-3-0 Big South record and will face No. 5 seed UNC Asheville (4-2-2, 14 points). With High Point and Radford, the No. 6 and No. 7 seed, respectively, Charleston Southern garners the No. 8 seed with its final league mark of 2-6-0 (six points). VMI finished ninth in the Big South at 0-8-0 and did not qualify for the tournament.
The 2006 Big South Women’s Soccer Championship begins Thursday, Nov. 2 in Conway, S.C. with four games and concludes with the Big South Championship game on Sunday, Nov. 5. The Big South’s Champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship. All games will have real-time in-game statistics available on www.BigSouthSports.com and www.GoCCUSports.com. The Conference Championship schedule is as follows:
Thursday, Nov. 2
Game 1: No. 4 Birmingham-Southern vs. No. 5 UNC Asheville, Noon ET
Game 2: No. 1 Winthrop vs. No. 8 Charleston Southern, 2:30 p.m. ET
Game 3: No. 3 Liberty vs. No. 6 High Point, 5 p.m. ET
Game 4: No. 2 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 7 Radford, 7:30 p.m. ET
Friday, Nov. 3
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (Semifinals), 5 p.m. ET
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (Semifinals), 7:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, Nov. 5
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (Championship), 2
a gutty win by our ladies. they are showing why they are the defending champions!
No. 3 Liberty Scores Double Overtime Win Over No. 6 High Point, 3-2
Kristin Faxon's goal moves Lady Flames into semifinals.
November 2, 2006
Conway, S.C.
» Box Score
Liberty’s Kristin Faxon broke through for the game-winning goal at 101:12 of the second overtime to lift the No. 4 seed Lady Flames to a 3-2 win over No. 6 seed High Point in the third game of the 2006 Big South Women's Soccer Tournament Thursday night at CCU Soccer Field on the campus of Coastal Carolina University. Liberty continues its tournament title defense with the win and advances to play the winner of #2 Coastal Carolina/#7 Radford, Friday night at 7:30pm.
For the third consecutive game on the opening day of the Big South Conference Women’s Soccer Championship, it took play into a pair of overtime sessions to decide a winner. The extra-time thriller featured 38 total shots and 21 saves between the two squads. High Point tallied 17 shots including 10 on goal. Liberty finished with 21 shots and 11 on goal. High Point goalkeeper Hannah Nail recorded a career-best eight stops in the game while Liberty’s Katherine Neff (Sr., Guelph, Ont.) also tallied career-high eight saves.
The Flames looked to grab the early lead posting several scoring chances in the opening minutes of play. Liberty saw a header carom off the crossbar, and a pair of diving saves by Nail, keep the ball out of the net.
High Point struck first when junior Megan Fielden drove a free kick on goal from 35-yards out that was deflected by Neff before being punched back into the net by sophomore Leslie Long at 10:38.
Things heated up in the closing five minutes of play in the first half. Junior defender Suzanne Edwards (Jr., Waxhaw, N.C.) headed a ball over the outstretched hands of Nail off a corner kick by Faxon (Sr., Chester, N.H.) to knot the score at 1-1 at the 41:52 mark. It was the Big South All-
Conference defender’s first collegiate career goal. Less than a minute later (42:48), Panther freshman Laura Eldridge converted a penalty kick after Karolina Straby was taken down in the box by a Liberty defender.
The Panthers held a 2-1 lead at intermission with both squads taking seven shots and High Point owning a 6-4 edge in shots on goal.
The Panthers looked to widen their advantage just five minutes into the second half when Eldridge attempted another penalty kick, but was stopped on a save by Liberty’s Neff.
Liberty was able to even the score at 2-2, when junior forward Kendall Bartholomew (Thaxton, Va.) chased down a long throw in by sophomore midfielder Amy Oberlin (So., Ada, Mich.) down the right side of the field and lofted a shot over the head of Nail from just inside the 18-yard box at 65:47.
Despite solid scoring opportunities for both squads in the final 10 minutes, neither team was able to score the game winner in regulation sending the game into overtime.
After playing a scoreless first overtime period, High Point had a pair of scoring chances in the opening minute of the second overtime session but Straby’s shot attempt was kick saved by Neff then Eldridge had a drive just sail high over the net.
The Flames answered with the golden goal less than a minute later (101:12) as Faxon lofted a shot from the left corner into the right side of the goal, following a pair of passes up the sideline from Bartholomew and junior Rachel Hetrick (F, Grantville, Pa.).
High Point ends the season at 4-15. Liberty improves to 8-7-1 on the year and advances to Friday’s 7:30 p.m. semifinal match-up with the winner of the Coastal Carolina-Radford day one nightcap.
QUOTES
Liberty head coach James Price
“Tonight had more to do with our character than anything else. To come from behind down 2-1 shows our mettle as a team.”
High Point head coach Michelle Rayner
“I could not have asked for more from this team. We never got a break all season long and yet they just kept coming out everyday and worked harder. They deserved a better outcome tonight but it just wasn't to be for us. I am so proud of their effort tonight. Every player left all they had on the field and played with ever ounce of passion and heart in this game.”
LU up 3-nil late in the 2nd half. Mandy Wheelock has 2 goals to pace the Flames in the 2nd half surge. The ladies will play UNC-A, an upset winner of top-seed Winthrop for the championship.
Isaiah 33:1 Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed!
Woe to you, O traitor, you who have not been betrayed!
the ladies continue to roll with today's solid effort. good luck in the finals!
#3 Liberty Shuts Out #2 Coastal Carolina to Advance to Second Straight Big South Championship Game
Mallory Neff netted first goal of the contest.
November 3, 2006
Conway, S.C.
No. 3 seed Liberty tallied three second-half goals to defeat No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina 3-0 in the semifinals of the Big South Women’s Soccer Tournament Friday evening at CCU Soccer Field on the campus of Coastal Carolina University.
With the victory, the Lady Flames advance to their second straight Big South Championship Final against No. 5 seed UNC Asheville, a 2-1 winner over No.1 seed Winthrop, Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line. The game will be a rematch of last year’s title match, which was won by Liberty, 3-0.
Liberty improves to 9-7-1 overall on the season. The Lady Flames have won a Big South-record three tournament championships, while Asheville will look for its second crown and first since 1995. Coastal Carolina, the championship’s host, finishes the season at 13-6-1.
After a scoreless first half, Liberty went on top at the 51:38 mark of the second half when Mallory Neff (Jr., MF, Sunbury, Pa,) converted a rebounded shot by Tanya Payne (Jr., D, Prescott, Ariz.) during a scrum in the box in front of Coastal Carolina’s net. It was Neff’s second goal of the season.
The Lady Flames extended their lead to 2-0 when Neff’s corner kick found Paige Cheek (Sr., Gambrills, Md.) for a shot which deflected off a Coastal defender and into a net for an own goal at the 59:08.
Big South All-Conference first team midfielder Mandee Wheelock (Sr., Front Royal, Va.) put the game away at 69:25 when her crossing attempt hit the left post and trickled in to make it 3-0, with Kendall Bartholomew (Jr., F, Thaxton, Va.) assisting on the score.
Goalie Katherine Neff (Sr., Guelph, Ont.) tallied six saves in net for the Lady Flames.Coastal Carolna’s Jaclyn Stoll had five saves .
Liberty had the shot advantage at 13-12.
QUOTES
Liberty head coach James Price
"I thought it was a really hard fought contest. We performed well with a lot of solid individual performances. Now we focus on Sunday and we are looking forward to it."
Coastal Carolina head coach Rohan Naraine
"After the first half, it was pretty even. It’s mistakes that are going to hurt you and that’s what did tonight. We gave them two corner kicks and we didn’t clear. We can’t make those mistakes in a game like this. You have to give Liberty credit, they’re a good team. We played hard but couldn’t score when we had chances."
The first half against Ashville is in the books and no score even though we are dominating the shots on goal. Need to start converting these opportunities so we can return to the Big Dance.
A tough way to end the season for the ladies. congrats on a great season.
No. 3 Liberty Falls on Penalty Kicks to No. 5 UNC Asheville in Big South Women’s Soccer Championship Final
Senior Paige Cheek was named to the 2006 All-Tournament team
November 5, 2006
Conway, S.C.
» Box Score
After 110 minutes of scoreless action, the No. 5 seed UNC Asheville Bulldogs out-scored the No. 3 Liberty Lady Flames, 4-2 in a penalty kick shootout in the Big South Women’s Soccer Championship Game and claim its first Big South women’s soccer title since 1995 Sunday afternoon at CCU Soccer Field on the campus of Coastal Carolina University. It was the fourth league championship match to be decided by penalty kicks, including three since the 2003 season.
UNC Asheville’s Meagan Bradham scored the game-winner for the Bulldogs after freshman goalkeeper Veronica Lazar blocked and saved an attempt by Maggie Woody (Fr., MF, Asheville, N.C.). Juliana Duncan converted the first shot of the shootout with a top shelf score on the left side. Liberty’s Mallory Neff (Jr., MF, Sunbury, Pa,) countered with a goal of her own, and it was 2-2 after the first four shooters. Asheville’s Robyn Busha’s roller inside the left post made it 3-2 in favor of the Bulldogs. On Liberty’s third attempt, Tanya Payne (Jr., D, Prescott, Ariz.) missed her attempt wide right to give Asheville the advantage. After the Bulldogs’ Kate Barrow’s attempt sailed over the net, Liberty’s Woody had a chance to tie the shootout at 3-3, but her shot was stopped in front of the net by Lazar, setting up Bradham’s winning attempt.
The game was a rematch of last year’s championship tilt, the first rematch of a Big South final since 2001. UNC Asheville captures its second Big South Women’s Soccer Championship and first since 1995, as well as it’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament. It was the fifth overtime championship game in league history and fourth to be decided by penalty kicks.
Liberty, which was making its fifth title game appearance, held the advantage in shots at 22-12. Katherine Neff (Sr., Guelph, Ont.) had four saves for the Lady Flames, while Lazar had five stops for the Bulldogs.
UNC Asheville, making its fourth Big South championship game appearance in five years and League-record seventh overall, receives the Conference’s automatic berth to the 2006 NCAA Tournament, which begins Friday, Nov. 10, at campus sites. The Bulldogs move on with a 10-6-3.
Liberty ends the season at 9-7-1. After a slow start, the Lady Flames had a strong finish to the season with a 6-1-1 mark in their last eight matches, coming up penalty kicks short of becoming only the second team in Big South history to repeat as Big South Women’s Soccer Champions. The 2000 and 2001 Lady Flames are the only repeat winners in the championship’s history.
Liberty seniors Paige Cheek (D, Gambrills, Md.) and Kristin Faxon (MF, Chester, N.H.) finish their Lady Flames career by being named to the Big South All-Tournament along with junior midfielder Neff.
Asheville’s Ashleigh Carter was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player and earned a spot on the all-tournament team, which is as follows:
2006 Big South Women’s Soccer All-Tournament Team
Ashleigh Carter, UNC Asheville (MVP)
Juliana Duncan, UNC Asheville
Sara Pahl, UNC Asheville
Kate Barrow, UNC Asheville
Paige Cheek, Liberty
Mallory Neff, Liberty
Kristin Faxon, Liberty
Emily McColl, Coastal Carolina
Ashleigh Gunning, Coastal Carolina
Dimitra Poulos, Winthrop
Ashley Aboud, Winthrop
Jill Boyer, Radford
Laura Eldridge, High Point
Karen Knight, Charleston Southern
Catherine Spiker, Birmingham-Southern
QUOTES
UNC Asheville head coach Michele Cornish “I knew if we could get through the first half, we would be fine. We had a lot of jitters and played much better in the second half. Liberty played very well. We have been on the other end twice, and it is great to be on the winning side. Our expectations were a lot less than in past years heading into the tournament, but our girls were determined and very confident.”
Liberty Coach James Price
“UNC Asheville played very well, especially on defense. Probably over the entire match, they were the better team and played well enough to win. On the other end, we did not play well enough defensively. We wish them all the best in the NCAA Tournament.”
- By TH Spangler
- By Ill flame
- By jmclaughlin
- By olldflame