Flames pull away from Huskies in third quarter for 12-3 triumph in Connecticut

Thursday, March 13

Madison, CT

4:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

University of Connecticut

Flames senior middie Will Geary looks to pass against UConn in the first game of Liberty's Spring Break trip Thursday in Madison, Conn.

Flames pull away from Huskies in third quarter for 12-3 triumph in Connecticut

3/13/2025 11:44:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Graduate faceoff specialist Caleb Hammett won 14 of 16 faceoffs and picked up 12 ground balls before graciously signing autographs after the contest that drew hundreds of youth fans.

Liberty University's men's lacrosse team passed its first test over Spring Break in Madison, Conn., by dominating UConn, 12-3, Thursday afternoon at Strong Field overlooking the Long Island Sound.

"It was cool and breezy off the water but definitely a beautiful venue and a cool environment to play in, literally steps from the ocean," Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said.

The sixth-ranked Flames (5-1) only led 2-1 after the first quarter and 4-1 at halftime before breaking the game open by outscoring the Huskies (1-3) by a 6-1 margin in the third quarter to seize a 10-2 advantage.

"It was definitely a defensive battle in the first half," McQuillan said. "We were super happy with our defensive effort in the first half. Connecticut was pretty sound defensively with a lot of physical players, and it was doing some things on the defensive side of the ball that impeded us from getting out to a fast start."

Graduate faceoff specialist Caleb Hammett won 14 of 16 faceoffs and picked up 12 ground balls to spur Liberty on in its transition game.

"Caleb continued to assert his dominance at the faceoff dot," McQuillan said, noting that Hammett's efforts set the Flames up for second-half success on the offensive end. "It took a little time for our offense to get warmed up, and we had a little bit of a sub-par performance in the first half."

Sophomore attack Luke Branham contributed three goals and three assists and was complemented by graduate attack Keaton Mohs, who also had a hat trick and added one assist.

"We got great production from our attack as a whole," McQuillan said, noting graduate Braden Landry also tallied two goals and distributed one assist. "(Branham) definitely gave a spark to our offense in the third quarter and was pretty consistent throughout the game."

Josiah Hoopman Lacrosse shot — Flames freshman middie Josiah Hoopman scores one of his two goals against UConn and is congratulated by teammates (right).

Freshman midfielder Josiah Hoopman scored twice and added an assist, and senior midfielder Will Geary and freshman middle Will Morris both netted one goal.

"(Hoopman) stepped up today, and it was great getting production and a strong showing from one of our freshmen," McQuillan said. "The third quarter gave us an opportunity to establish control, and our guys did a pretty good job of controlling the pace of the game."

Sophomore goalie Ian Carvajal battled through a hip injury to make seven saves before freshman Caden Maurer replaced him during the last 10 minutes for his first playing time in an official game.
The game attracted hundreds of youth for a special after-school promotion. Many of the students came to see Hammett, who played his undergraduate career at NCAA Division I UMass and has close to 5 million followers across his social media accounts.

Caleb Hammett signs autographs for youth — Flames graduate faceoff specialist Caleb Hammett signs lacrosse balls for dozens of young fans who attended Thursday's game.

"It was a fantastic turnout," McQuillan said. "Caleb was swarmed by about 100 high school, junior high, middle school, and elementary school kids. Every game we play on the road, it is crazy to see the amount of kids that show up and want to meet him, and he spends time to make sure everyone gets a photo opp and an autograph. He is a great representative for us and for Liberty Lacrosse."

The trip was also a first opportunity to visit the hometown of former Flames long-stick middieand current Assistant Coach Mike Zumpano, though Liberty has hosted UConn on a few occasions.

"Connecticut has been on our schedule consistently, but this was the first opportunity we've had to get up north after a previous Spring Break trip was thwarted by COVID," McQuillan said. "So, this was a long time coming, and it's great to bring the team back to Connecticut."

The Flames will spend Friday practicing on Zumpano's high school home field in preparation for Saturday's 1 p.m. showdown against Northeastern, also at Strong Field. Zumpano's family will host the team for a meal on Friday afternoon.

"It will be a good opportunity to get a little rest for Saturday," McQuillan said. "Northeastern is currently undefeated and the No. 2 team in the country. Last season, we lost our home opener to Northeastern before we ended its season at the (MCLA) national tournament. That is something (the Huskies are) mindful of, and with us coming up to their part of the country, they will be looking to repay us with a loss. At the same time, it will be just as great an opportunity for us to improve our resumé and get a win against a Top 5 team."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer