On April 1, the Liberty Flames women’s lacrosse team beat No. 21 Jacksonville 12-10 … no fooling.
The win was significant for two reasons. First, it was a “W” over a ranked team as Liberty’s defense (12-7, 7-0 Atlantic Sun) held the Dolphins to half of their ASUN scoring average. Second and more importantly, it marked Liberty’s first win over Jacksonville, who has claimed the last six ASUN titles.
“I feel like we are very dynamic in every aspect: defense, on the attack and especially on the draw. Lizzy Ferguson is one of the best in the country in draw controls and that helps out a lot,” noted Liberty defender Grace Loughery. “We flow well. We have a large pool of people to pull from talent-wise, from freshmen through fifth years, which is big. We all have the goal of winning a championship.”
Although Liberty fell to Jacksonville in overtime, 14-13, in the Atlantic Sun championship game, the Flames ran the table in regular season conference play. By doing so, they claimed the first regular season championship in the program’s 14-year history. 2023 marks Liberty’s sixth straight non-losing season. The Flames allowed less than eight goals per game in conference play while scoring over twice that many.
Loughery’s play was a huge part of the Flames’ success. The Pennridge grad won the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year and earned first-team ASUN honors. She had six ground balls and caused five turnovers in Liberty’s April 12 loss to No. 9 Florida. On June 3, she got to play in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division I Senior All-Star Game outside of Baltimore.
A fifth-year senior and transfer from Navy, Loughery won the ASUN Defensive Player of the Week on April 11 after road wins over Coastal Carolina and conference foe Queens. It bookends nicely with the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honor she won in March 2022 for Navy.
Loughery credits her fellow defenders “for being on the same page and having the communication and connection,” she shared. “At Navy, we played a man defense and here we play a zone so that was an adjustment. But I feel in a zone, it is even more important to have each other’s backs and know that you can sell out for the check and go for the interception. If you miss it and get beat, the goalie or defender will have your back.
“You’re not putting the ball in the back of the net or getting assists but when you make a defensive stop as a team, I feel like it gets the whole sideline hyped,” she pointed out. “(Assistant) coach Nina (Dunay) always says ‘Be on offense at all times’ even when the other team has the ball. I feel that’s a good mindset to have.”
It is a testimony to Loughery’s abilities that she was voted a captain this season …despite it being her first season suiting up for the Flames.
“That was definitely very humbling,” Loughery admitted. “I was not expecting that because I have only been here for one year. It makes me happy and it is a confidence booster that my teammates see leadership in me.”
One Liberty teammate knew immediately that Grace would have this type of impact. Sister Amelia is a freshman on the Flames. Although listed as a defender, Amelia has been a little more offensive minded, scoring three goals in six appearances.
“Liberty was my first choice throughout the whole recruiting process. I always wanted to play for Liberty and I love the school itself,” said Amelia, whose sister, Evelyn, also attends the school. “It is beautiful and I love the Christ-centered mission that we have. I love the coaches and the people here. Our culture is something that you don’t really find at any other schools.”
There was no easing into Liberty for the Lougherys. Their first game was against defending national champion North Carolina. Five of Liberty’s opening seven games were against ranked teams.
“There’s definitely a huge jump from high school to this, especially playing the No. 1 team and all of the ranked teams that we played,” Amelia pointed out. “But Pennridge has good competition where I was playing with and against D1 girls. That definitely helped bridge the gap. So did having Grace and working with her. I also think having a season in spring is nice because you have all of fall to prepare and get ready.”
The Lougherys’ mom, Kathy, played field hockey at perennial power Maryland. She also played lacrosse for one season with the Terps, and was influential in getting both girls into the sport.
“I started playing in first grade since Grace had already been playing,” Amelia pointed out.
As close as the sisters were, the four-grade gap meant they could never be teammates under normal circumstances. But when Grace, and all other, athletes got a fifth year of eligibility through Covid, a unique window opened.
“Being able to play with Grace is definitely a dream come true,” Amelia shared. “Its great that she had the opportunity to get the fifth year to come here. I was on board with it from the beginning since I look up to her so much.”
“This isn’t even a dream for me, because I didn’t think this would even be possible,” Grace pointed out. “When it came down to it, I wanted to play with my sister. It’s fun being down here with both of them.”
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