Liberty Champion
SPORTS
W&M AUGUST 27, 2013
Field Hockey Liberty 3
W&M 1
W. Soccer
Liberty Charlotte 0 1
B1
D1 W. Hockey
M. Soccer
Liberty 3
UNCG 2
Liberty 2
Hamilton 1
Flames claim 11th Sasser Cup Tory Abrahamsen tabrahamsen@liberty.edu
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
LAST-SECOND HEROICS — Sarah Stevenson (11) scored the final goal against Hamilton, giving Liberty a 2-1 win.
Clutch in the preseason The Lady Flames clinch victory in the final seconds against the Hamilton Hawks Derrick Battle Tom Foote dbattle2@liberty.edu tfoote2@liberty.edu
With 23.7 second left in regulation, Liberty Lady Flames forward Sarah Stevenson battled her way through two defenders and slapped in the game-winning goal from the right wing against the Hamilton Hawks, giving Liberty a 2-1 victory. “We were a little bit slow, the ice was slow,” Lady Flames
Head Coach Paul Bloomfield said. “We struggled a little bit, but we were lucky we pulled that goal off in the last 30 seconds. That sort of ended it the way we needed to.” The exhibition match was the first action the Lady Flames saw since coming up short in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) championship game against Minnesota Golden Gophers. During the 2013 season, Liberty finished second in the
ACHA with a 31-3 record. “I’m excited for this year to see what happens … ” Fischer said, “I think if we put enough fight in us and work hard on the ice and off ice, I think we can do it. Instead of coming out second, we’ll come out on top this year.” Bloomfield and his players welcomed back former Lady Flame and current Hawks assistant coach Brooke Harris. In 2011, Harris was team captain under Bloomfield. “She’s a good kid and was
captain of our team for two years, and it’s always good to see (players) come back,” Bloomfield said. Throughout most of the first period, Liberty came out sluggish and gave up a goal with 11:44 left before intermission. Hamilton maintained possession of the puck for most of the period. However, the Lady Flames answered and tied the game 1-1.
During the fall and spring 2012 and 2013 athletic seasons, Liberty teams claimed 10 of 18 Big South Conference championships, a feat that ultimately helped Liberty secure its 11th Sasser Cup. This is Liberty’s sixth consecutive year bringing home the award, which is the longest streak in Big South history. According bigsouthsports.com, the Sasser Cup is given to the school with the best overall athletic year. The winner is determined by a wieghted point system based on regular season and tournament finishes. Liberty beat out Coastal Carolina by less than one point. “We would be very disappointed if we didn’t win (the Sasser Cup), but it’s always going to be a battle,” Barber said. Despite receiving a fifth seed in the north division for the Big South Championship, the men’s basketball team won four games in five days to capture the conference title. The Flames football team overcame a 0-4 start to gain a share of the Big South Championship. Barber has still managed to take Liberty Athletics to new heights during his tenure. In addition to winning the Sasser Cup six straight years, Liberty is continuing to renovate its athletic facilities and strengthen its programs. “We have a great commitment here at Liberty for athletics, starting with the chancellor down … the school has made a great commitment to us,” Barber said. In addition to the Sasser Cup, Liberty
See CLUTCH, B2
See SASSER, B3
Summer league fun Greg Leasure gleasure@liberty.edu
nity,” Woodrum said. Running backs D.J. Abnar, Desmond Rice and University of Virginia transfer Clifton Richardson will propel the ground game while wide receivers Darrin Peterson and Dante Shells will be key pieces of Liberty’s passing game.
The Liberty Flames baseball team just refuses to stop winning. Fresh off a Big South Championship in May and an NCAA regional appearance, many Flames played in collegiate summer baseball leagues. However, four Flames added even more championships to their resumes after capturing titles in two different leagues. Junior outfielder Ashton Perritt led his Licking County Settlers to the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League title Aug. 4 and was selected to the league’s all-star team, taking the batting title as the top hitter in the league. Not to be outdone, the trio of senior Danny Grauer and juniors Alex Close and Jared Lyons contributed to the Peninsula Pilots pursuit of the Coastal Plain
See SCHEDULE, B4
See FUN, B4
Breann Black|Liberty Champion
LET THE GAMES BEGIN — The Flames will play two FBS opponents during this football season.
Liberty hopes to reach playoffs With a reloaded team, Flames are eager to make a run in the FCS tournament Emily Brown erbrown@liberty.edu
With the new school year underway, the Liberty Flames football team also begins a new season and looks to bring home its sixth conference title in the last seven years. The Flames were picked to
WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE GAME
finish second in the Big South Conference, according to a preseason poll on bigsouthsports.com. The team hopes to improve upon last year’s 6-5 record, which included six wins in the last seven games, under second-year Head Coach Turner Gill. The Flames offense will be
Volleyball Blue-White scrimmage Aug. 27 @ 7 p.m.
led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Josh Woodrum, the reigning Big South Freshman of the Year who garnered recognition for his 1,966 passing yard 2012 season. “Our team’s really gonna look to me to make plays, be real consistent, manage the game and really strike people when we have the opportu-
Field Hockey vs. St. Joseph’s Aug. 30 @ 2 p.m.
W. Soccer vs. ODU Aug. 30 @ 4 p.m.
W. Soccer vs. American Sept. 1 @ 1 p.m.
Volleyball vs. Georgetown Sept. 3 @
7 p.m.