Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Men's lacrosse sweeps NCAA DI, DIII, NAIA foes in tourney
10/14/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Freshmen from perhaps the strongest defensive recruiting class in Liberty University men's lacrosse program history showcased their skills under sunny skies at the Liberty Lacrosse Field in Saturday's annual Fall Tournament, helping the Flames lock down their opponents and allow only eight goals in three triumphs.
"We put our freshmen in a lot of situations, and they didn't disappoint," Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. "We brought in players like Jake Barber, Josh Woon, Garrett Cooper, and Mitchell Gorski, all on the defensive side of the ball, to make an impact right away and they played really well. They moved the ball well, weren't selfish, and started to build a lot of trust with the upperclassmen."
Liberty met a wide range of opponents — dominating NCAA Division III cross-town rival Randolph College, 10-1, in the first game, edging NAIA Montreat (N.C.) College, 6-4, in a defensive battle, and pulling away from Hampton University, the first NCAA Division I program it has ever played, 8-2.
"It was a good, diverse group of teams and really competitive lacrosse for all the programs involved," McQuillan said. "In the spring, we want to focus on the MCLA opponents because those are the games we need to be successful in to get to our (SELC) conference tournament and qualify for nationals. It was neat today to play an NCAA Division I and Division III and an NAIA team all in the same day."
McQuillan purposely scheduled the Hampton game for last, expecting it to be the Flames' toughest test.
"We tried to build up to it and we played our most complete game last," he said. "In the second game against Montreat, we got a little comfortable and lazy, but we fixed a lot of those mistakes in the third game and set the bar high high. It was great to see the guys respond."
Sophomore attack Caleb Britton, Liberty's leading scorer as a freshman, paced the Flames in goals for the tournament, picking up where he left off, and sophomore goalie Ryan Reynolds and junior Brayden Harriman were both sharp between the pipes, setting up another close competition for the starting job.
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| Liberty's coaching staff welcomed back former goalie Ethan Kamholtz (in white), head coach at Montreat College. |
They got to play against a Montreat team coached by former Flames goalie Ethan Kamholtz and featuring former Liberty attack John Ferris.
"Ethan's done a great job there, developing a culture and growing the program," McQuillan said. "He's got a good mind for the defensive side of the ball and he's a great communicator and a great teacher. Montreat's a small Christian college in North Carolina and It was good to be able to pray with them after the game."
On Friday night, in conjunction with Homecoming Weekend, Liberty held its annual alumni game on the same field. An overtime goal by former Flames midfielder Derek Haywood was the game-winner in a 14-13 showdown between two teams selected and coached by current Liberty captains Sam Gregory and Carter Elliott.
"It ended up being a very competitive game and a lot of fun, a good way to kick off Homecoming," McQuillan said. "There were a lot of goals going both ways."
Liberty will now gear up for its fall showdown with SELC Northwest Region rival Virginia Tech, set for Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. in Blacksburg, Va.
"Tech is going to be our focus for the next few weeks and it was good to get some film this weekend for us to review moving forward," McQuillan said.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
