Flames dominate Dukes with second-half surge, clinch No. 1 seed in ALC North

Friday, April 11

Lynchburg, VA

7:00 PM

Liberty University Club Sports

James Madison University

Junior defensive middie Ty Broughton powers his way past a JMU player on one of the Flames' 21 successful clears. (Photos by Ethan Smith)

Flames dominate Dukes with second-half surge, clinch No. 1 seed in ALC North

4/11/2025 11:22:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

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No. 2-ranked Liberty honored six seniors before the game and overcame an extended lull to pull away from No. 21 JMU midway through the third quarter for its 12th win in a row.

Gallery: (4-11-2025) Liberty vs. JMU men's lacrosse

On Friday's Senior Night at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields, Liberty University's No. 2-ranked MCLA Division I men's lacrosse team broke open a 6-3 halftime lead by outscoring No. 21 ALC North Region rival James Madison University 5-1 in the third quarter and 4-1 in the fourth for a 15-5 triumph.

The Flames (12-1) got hat tricks from their starting three attackmen — graduates Braden Landry (3 goals, 4 assists) and Keaton Mohs (3G, 1A), and junior Luke Branham (3G, 2A) — and extended their winning streak to 12 games since a regular-season-opening loss to Virginia Tech while snapping a four-game streak by the Dukes (8-3).

"That was a great way to finish our home schedule," Liberty Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. "Any time you can send your seniors out with a win, that's great. We're on a 12-game winning streak since the beginning of the season so these guys continue to show up every week and punch the clock and do what they're expected to do."

Sophomore goalie Ian Carvajal made 16 saves and graduate faceoff specialist Caleb Hammett won 16 of 22 faceoffs and picked up 11 ground balls, with junior defender Brody Ashworth adding seven, Mohs six, and senior defender Conor Guiltinan five to go with his three forced turnovers. As a team, the Flames were successful on 21 of 26 clearing attempts while their defensive ride caused 14 JMU turnovers in 31 chances.

Liberty overcame a 13-minute offensive drought that lasted from the 7:07 mark of the second quarter to the 8:57 mark of the third by doubling their production with six goals in rapid succession over the next 10 minutes, sparked by a spectacular running shot by Mohs down the left side of the box.

"It was a slow start, but they came out aggressive and really showed how good a program they are," Landry said. "Once we weathered the storm a bit, we were able to pick things up and start attacking. When it comes down to it, our offense is really, really smooth, and we can share the ball well. We have a lot of guys who can score and a lot of guys who can assist, so it makes it really difficult to cover us."

Sophomore middie Kason Brehm picked up a ground ball on the run after Hammett won it back after a faceoff and set up Branham for a point-blank finish in left crease, extending Liberty's lead to 8-4 with 7:48 left in the third quarter.

Sophomore middie Easton Cahill then received a pass atop the box from Landry and fired a howitzer of a shot into the upper netting to make it 9-4 at the 5:47 mark. Landry then picked up ground ball turnover and started a quick rush with an assist to Mohs in the right side of the box for a fast-break finish and 10-4 advantage.

The Flames capped the third-quarter scoring with tic-tac-toe passing through the box from Mohs to Landry to freshman middie Parker Ackerman for a finish in front and commanding 11-4 lead going into the fourth quarter.

"Early on, we gave (JMU) some reason to maybe be a little more excited than we wanted them to be, and they kept it closer than we wanted it to be," McQuillan said. "They were right in it at halftime. We were making some mistakes and playing some uncharacteristic lacrosse there for too long in the second and third, but we found ourselves and the dam broke for us in the late third and early fourth quarter."

Mohs completed his hat trick by taking a high pass from Hammett in the left side of the box after a faceoff win and unleashing an incredible side-armed shot into the upper netting to stretch the edge to 14-4 with 9:44 remaining in regulation, bringing his career total to 311 points, just 26 shy of Assistant Coach Ryan Miller's all-time MCLA scoring record (337).

While Mohs and Landry were honored on Senior Night last season, and senior middie Will Geary was sidelined after breaking his collarbone in last month's win over Texas A&M, Hammett reflected on his rookie year with the Flames which will also be his final season.

"It was honestly a little bittersweet," he said. "It's been so fun this year. I'm getting old, so I think it's good that my career is coming to an end, but it's been such a blessing being here. I'm going to miss these guys. I'm just trying to enjoy the rest of the year with them."

Liberty will conclude its regular season at ALC North rival West Virginia, Sunday at 1 p.m., before having Easter Weekend off and entering the ALC Championship semifinals at Lynchburg's City Stadium on April 26 as the No. 1 seed out of the North.

"We're not taking that game for granted, and West Virginia, like JMU, is going to give us everything they have, but this team has proven time and time again that if we play our style and play our game and show up and do the things we have consistently done for 12 games in a row, they will be fine," McQuillan said.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video edited by Andrew Musser/Club Sports Video & Media Coordinator