Flames pull away from Panthers early in lopsided ALC North duel

Sunday, March 30

Pittsburgh, PA

1:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

University of Pittsburgh

Liberty graduate faceoff specialist Caleb Hammett won 10 of 11 faceoffs against Pittsburgh in the first half.

Flames pull away from Panthers early in lopsided ALC North duel

3/30/2025 5:49:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Liberty's top four attackmen accounted for 11 goals and 10 assists and faceoff specialist Caleb Hammett won 10 of 11 attempts to ignite the offense.

Balanced offensive production and stingy defensive play powered Liberty University's No. 3-ranked men's lacrosse team to a 22-6 triumph over ALC North Region rival Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon in the Pitt Sports Dome.

A dozen different players scored goals for the Flames (9-1), including four each from graduate attack Keaton Mohs, who added four assists, and freshman midfielder Josiah Hoopman, who was awarded the Flames Chain by his teammates for his most valuable player honors.

"Josiah is a true freshman who continues to develop as a player and elevate his game," Liberty Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. "He is a big, physical kid who had a phenomenal performance in today's game with some really nice shots from the outside."

In contrast to Friday's 21-7 victory over Texas A&M, when the Flames broke open a 1-1 tie by outscoring the Aggies 9-0 in the second quarter to take a 10-1 lead into halftime, Liberty started much faster against Pittsburgh (4-2). Liberty netted nine goals in the first quarter before adding four in the second and third while holding the Panthers to one goal in each to build a commanding 17-3 advantage going into the fourth quarter.

Caleb Hammett faceoff win vertical — Hammett sheds a Pitt player before sending a behind-the-back pass to Keaton Mohs.

Graduate faceoff specialist Caleb Hammett sparked the Flames' transition game, winning possession before starting a half-court drive and sending a behind-the-back feed acrosse to Mohs who set up Branham for a spectacular over-the-top finish from the left crease.

"Any time we're able to get to 20 or more goals in a game, it's probably because our transition game is doing very well," McQuillan said. "This felt very similar to Friday's game, but we were a lot more consistent in terms of all four quarters. Today, we got off and running in the first quarter. Our transition game was firing on all cylinders, and our offense had a lot of success."

Offensively, the Flames successfully cleared on 26 of their 29 attempts on transition. Junior attack Luke Branham converted a hat trick and distributed two assists. Graduate attack Braden Landry added two goals and three assists, and sophomore attack Thomas Dyson contributed two goals and one assist.

Hammett won 10 of his 11 draws, all in the first half, and grabbed seven ground balls before junior middie Shane Supek experienced similar success from the faceoff X in the second half, winning 8 out of 10.

"Caleb Hammett was fantastic for us in the first half, and in the second half Shane Supek took a large share of faceoffs and went 8-2," McQuillan said. "We have a next-guy-up mentality, and we don't experience a lot of fall-off when we put our reserve players in."

He said Supek, who found success taking faceoffs as a sophomore before an injury sidelined him for the second half of the season, has benefited from observing and squaring off against Hammett.

"Anytime you have the chance to practice against and go head-to-head with a guy of Caleb (Hammett's) caliber, it raises the bar for everyone," McQuillan said. "Shane (Supek) is a utility knife. We can use him at midfield, he has played defense for us, and he takes faceoffs. He is an all-around athlete, and we can use him in a variety of ways."

Luke Branham finish vs. Pitt — Junior attack Luke Branham took a pass from Mohs and finished over Pitt's goalie.

Single-goal scorers for the Flames included Supek, senior defender Conor Guiltinan, sophomore middies Easton Cahill, Hunter Rockhill, and Harris Shook, junior middie Gabe Dymmel, and junior defensive hammer Ty Broughton, who made a phenomenal move through the Panthers' defensive zone for a point-blank finish.

Defensively, Mohs, junior middie Jayson Houck, and Guiltinan each forced three turnovers while freshman long-stick middie Peyton Park and Supek both picked up six ground balls. As a team, the Flames picked up 56 ground balls to control time of possession.

"We definitely had really good play from both of our defensive middies, Peyton Park and (sophomore LSM) Graham Lilley, who provided really good transition play today," McQuillan said.

Sophomore starting goalie Ian Carvajal played the first three quarters, making three saves and allowing three goals.

The Flames outscored their hosts 5-3 in the fourth quarter to seal their ninth consecutive win after opening the season with a 16-12 loss to ALC South rival Virginia Tech on Feb. 8.

The win improves Liberty's ALC North record to 2-0 with games remaining against West Virginia, Kentucky, and JMU.

"We continue to be in the driver's seat for that No. 1 seed in the North Region for the ALC tournament," McQuillan said.

The Flames will return to the Liberty Lacrosse Fields this Friday for a Midnight Mayhem showdown with ALC South rival Tennessee (8-2) in a rematch of last season's ALC Championship final won by Liberty at Lynchburg City Stadium, which will also be the site of the April 26-27 ALC semifinals and championship game.

"We've got a big test with Tennessee this Friday," McQuillan said. "Not having the Midnight game last year, the guys are chomping at the bit. It is a cool event that creates a cool atmosphere for the athletes and the fans as well. Tennessee is a great team, and with it being a rematch of last year's championship, it should be pretty electric. Whoever comes in (for the Midnight Mayhem game), it is a great experience to be a part of, and I'm sure we're going to get Tennessee's best punch."

McQuillan hopes the Flames will continue to build momentum for the playoffs, including the May 5-10 MCLA National Championships in Round Rock, Texas, as they approach the home stretch of their season.

"We've got to remain focused," McQuillan said. "Our expectation and goal is to win out for the rest of the year. We have asked for our guys to use the second half of the season to continue to build confidence in themselves and each other and put ourselves in a position where we can't be beat in the postseason. We want to be playing our best lacrosse at the end of April."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer