Temple University Athletics
Friday, October 28
Lynchburg, Va.
4:00 p.m.
Temple University
at
Liberty
Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Field Hockey Looks to Secure Tournament Berth at Liberty on Friday
10.26.16 | Field Hockey
PHILADELPHIA - With a win at Liberty on Friday, Oct. 28, Temple field hockey would earn one of four spots in the BIG EAST Tournament that will be hosted by Temple Nov. 4-6 at Howarth Field. While the Owls do control their own fate, they can still earn a berth with a loss, provided Old Dominion is not successful against Providence that same afternoon.
ODU will host Providence at noon, while Temple (6-10, 3-3) and Liberty (6-8, 4-2) play at 4 p.m. Both Liberty and UConn have already secured spots in the tournament. With a win at Liberty, Temple could potentially finish as high as the No. 2 seed. The BIG EAST Tournament semifinals are set for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Temple on Friday, Nov. 4, with the championship game slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6.Â
Whatever the outcome of Friday's games, Temple will play its final regular season game at home on Sunday, Oct. 30 against Lafayette at 2 p.m. Prior to the game, the Owls' four seniors - Katie Foran, Paige Gross, Ali Meszaros and Michelle Walsh - will be honored for Senior Day.
Temple is coming off a much-needed, 3-2 win against Quinnipiac on Oct. 21. Freshman Maddie Merton scored twice and assisted on the third goal, while redshirt junior Sarah Keer scored a goal and had an assist. Merton was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for her efforts. Junior Rachael Mueller is the Owls' leading scorer with nine goals this season, and three of those have been game-winning goals including two in overtime (at Sacred Heart, vs. No. 13 ODU).
Freshman Maddie Lilliock has been impressive in goal all season long for Temple, and currently ranks 10th in NCAA Division I with 7.06 saves per game. Freshman Becky Gerhart has notched seven defensive saves to tie for second among all players in NCAA Division I, while senior Ali Meszaros has three and is tied for 19th. The Owls' 14 total defensive saves rank second in the nation.
Liberty has been a consistently strong program since starting a field hockey team in 2011. The Flames have struggled a little this season against a tough schedule, but have gone 6-8 overall and 4-2 in the BIG EAST to already secure a tournament berth. Liberty won 2-1 in overtime at No. 20 American on Oct. 6, and took down Providence 2-1 on the road last weekend. Earlier this year, the Flames took No. 2 Syracuse to overtime before losing 3-2. Most recently, Liberty fell 5-1 to No. 4 North Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 23. UNC was the eighth ranked opponent Liberty had faced this season and fourth top-five team.
Sisters Serena and Bethany Barr, both seniors, lead Liberty in total points with 17 each, scoring four goals in addition to tallying nine assists each. Freshman Agueda Moroni is the team leader in goals with nine after scoring three this past weekend to earn BIG EAST Offensive and Freshman of the Week honors. Freshman Allison Schaefer has played every minute in goal for the Flames with 93 saves to 36 goals allowed for a save percentage of .721.
Temple and Liberty have met just twice before in program history. The Flames, then ranked No. 12, edged Temple in last year's meeting by a score of 3-2 in double overtime. In 2011, the Owls won 3-0 at home.
Watch Live l Live Stats l Game Notes
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ODU will host Providence at noon, while Temple (6-10, 3-3) and Liberty (6-8, 4-2) play at 4 p.m. Both Liberty and UConn have already secured spots in the tournament. With a win at Liberty, Temple could potentially finish as high as the No. 2 seed. The BIG EAST Tournament semifinals are set for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Temple on Friday, Nov. 4, with the championship game slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6.Â
Whatever the outcome of Friday's games, Temple will play its final regular season game at home on Sunday, Oct. 30 against Lafayette at 2 p.m. Prior to the game, the Owls' four seniors - Katie Foran, Paige Gross, Ali Meszaros and Michelle Walsh - will be honored for Senior Day.
Temple is coming off a much-needed, 3-2 win against Quinnipiac on Oct. 21. Freshman Maddie Merton scored twice and assisted on the third goal, while redshirt junior Sarah Keer scored a goal and had an assist. Merton was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for her efforts. Junior Rachael Mueller is the Owls' leading scorer with nine goals this season, and three of those have been game-winning goals including two in overtime (at Sacred Heart, vs. No. 13 ODU).
Freshman Maddie Lilliock has been impressive in goal all season long for Temple, and currently ranks 10th in NCAA Division I with 7.06 saves per game. Freshman Becky Gerhart has notched seven defensive saves to tie for second among all players in NCAA Division I, while senior Ali Meszaros has three and is tied for 19th. The Owls' 14 total defensive saves rank second in the nation.
Liberty has been a consistently strong program since starting a field hockey team in 2011. The Flames have struggled a little this season against a tough schedule, but have gone 6-8 overall and 4-2 in the BIG EAST to already secure a tournament berth. Liberty won 2-1 in overtime at No. 20 American on Oct. 6, and took down Providence 2-1 on the road last weekend. Earlier this year, the Flames took No. 2 Syracuse to overtime before losing 3-2. Most recently, Liberty fell 5-1 to No. 4 North Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 23. UNC was the eighth ranked opponent Liberty had faced this season and fourth top-five team.
Sisters Serena and Bethany Barr, both seniors, lead Liberty in total points with 17 each, scoring four goals in addition to tallying nine assists each. Freshman Agueda Moroni is the team leader in goals with nine after scoring three this past weekend to earn BIG EAST Offensive and Freshman of the Week honors. Freshman Allison Schaefer has played every minute in goal for the Flames with 93 saves to 36 goals allowed for a save percentage of .721.
Temple and Liberty have met just twice before in program history. The Flames, then ranked No. 12, edged Temple in last year's meeting by a score of 3-2 in double overtime. In 2011, the Owls won 3-0 at home.
Watch Live l Live Stats l Game Notes
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