Friday, January 24
Lynchburg, VA
8:30 PM
Liberty University Club Sports
12
vs
0
University of Pennsylvania
Senior defenseman Kate Walhof skates the puck between two UPenn defensemen in Friday night's first game of the weekend series. (Photos by Simon Barbre and Ethan Smith)
DII Lady Flames take two out of three in semester’s first series
1/28/2025 4:02:00 PM | Women's D2 Hockey
Liberty, ranked No. 1 in the Southeast Region, improved to 23-1 after dominating UPenn 12-0 on Friday and edging No. 3 Villanova on Saturday before allowing the Wildcats to salvage a split.
Playing for the first time in more than two months, the Lady Flames (23-2) overwhelmed the Quakers, netting four goals in each period and outshooting their guests by exactly a three-to-one margin, 69-23.
Liberty got two goals apiece from senior defenseman Kate Walhof, sophomore forward Cora Williams, and freshman forward Calissa Klein; one goal and two assists from junior forward Reanna Cruz; one goal and one assist from freshman forward Patricia Misiak and graduate defenseman Hunter DiGrazia; and single scores from senior forward Bel Gracia, junior forward Izzy Crossman, and freshman forward Ella Moerman.
Sophomore goalie Abby Manzewitsch made 23 saves to record her second shutout and lower her goals-against average to 1.67.
In Saturday's series opener against Villanova, the Lady Flames netted the game's only goals in a span of 22 seconds midway through the second period — the first by Gracia on a power play putback after initial shots by senior forward Madison Gaddy and junior forward Guin Donovan at the 12:14 mark. The second came on the ensuing shift, with Klein finishing a fast break with a sharp-angled shot in the right circle off feeds from Misiak and Cruz. Graduate goalie Kylie Mebs, who spent last season on the DII team before rejoining the DI squad for the fall semester, made 19 saves to post the shutout in her 2024-25 DII debut.
Sunday's rematch was a near exact reversal, with the Wildcats scoring two second-period power-play goals — by third-leading scorer Elise Payne at the 15:44 mark and second-leading scorer Kyla O'Byrne with 7:25 left. Liberty struck back to cut the deficit in half midway through the third period on a rifle of a shot from the right point by Walhof off an assist from Klein, but could not net the equalizer in the final 9:46.
Villanova outshot the Lady Flames, 37-28, and junior goalie Abigail Hodsden (11-2) made 35 saves in defeat, with the two goals raising her goals-against average to 0.77.
Liberty will be in action again this weekend when it hosts West Virginia on Friday at 9:45 p.m. and Saturday at 7 p.m. back in the LIC.
Videos edited by Patrick Strawn/Club Sports Director of Video & Media
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