Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Saturday, April 25
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ALC Playoffs
Senior midfielder Hunter Rockhill drives around a Virginia Tech defender in Friday night's ALC semifinal loss to the Hokies. (Photos by Ethan Smith)
Flames give Hokies fight to finish in 13-12 season-ending setback in ALC semis
4/25/2026 11:08:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Liberty’s No. 20-ranked men’s lacrosse team was hoping to become the first to win three straight conference crowns.
Liberty University's men's lacrosse team renewed its storied rivalry with Virginia Tech in Friday night's Atlantic Lacrosse Tournament semifinal at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields, a classic 13-12 battle won by the Hokies after no fewer than seven lead changes.
"As a lacrosse fan, I thought it was a pretty exciting game," Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. "This is more like the Virginia Tech-Liberty games that we're used to. It was a fun atmosphere, fun to be able to play a playoff game at home under the lights with a decent crowd. It was just a cool experience. It would have been cooler if we'd have won, but we were pretty well aware that Virginia Tech was going to give us everything they've got, and they did. We just came up a little bit short."
The top-seeded, No. 3-ranked Hokies (12-1) dashed the fourth-seeded, No. 20 Flames' bid for a third consecutive ALC Tournament title. They advance to Saturday's 7 p.m. final against No. 2-seeded Tennessee, a 9-7 winner over No. 3 Clemson, and effectively ended the season for Liberty (7-7). The Flames have no legitimate shot at an at-large bid into the May 4-9 MCLA National Championships in Richmond, Va., which they won for the first time last spring.
"We had nothing to lose," McQuillan said. "In the regular season, we did not put up as much of a fight (in a 17-5 setback April 2 in Blacksburg, Va.). Everybody had kind of counted us out, and for good reason. I'm not trying to play the underdog card, but we had no business knocking off Virginia Tech in this game. We absolutely did catch them off guard, but credit to them for responding."
The Hokies seized a 3-2 lead on the first of four goals by senior attack Jacob Blibaum, who darted across the box before unleashing a side-armed shot past senior goalie Ian Carvajal (7 saves).
After Carvajal saved Blibaum's bounce shot from short range, graduate middie Austin Ashley doubled Virginia Tech's lead to 4-2 by rifling a shot from the top of the box with 5:18 to play in the first quarter.
Freshman attack Branson Isaacs netted five goals, and sophomore midfielder Josiah Hoopman had one goal and distributed four assists to ignite the Flames' offense.
"That kid (Isaacs) was a walk-on, wasn't even a recruited player here, and he was thrown into a role way sooner than we expected," McQuillan said. "It was mildly even unfair putting him in some of the spots we put him in this season. It's great when a freshman is able to play like that in a game like that."
Liberty Assistant Athletic Trainer Sam Nigra treated Hoopman's injury in the days leading up to the playoffs, and it made a world of difference.
"Sam worked some magic and said he popped something and he felt better," McQuillan said. "(Hoopman) just woke up this morning and just realized he had an opportunity to play, and he was going to try to take advantage of that. He was definitely not at 100 percent, but you can obviously tell that Josiah not even at 100 percent still makes a pretty big impact."
Normally more of a scoring threat, Hoopman turned into the Flames' best playmaker with his passing from the perimeter.
"His role was very different from what we rely on him for usually," McQuillan said. "He is a big, physical body who can drive to the cage and create a lot of confusion for defenses, Quarterbacking the offense from an outside perspective is not something that we've asked him to do. Today we did, and he did a great job."
Playing with a man advantage, Hoopman spotted Isaacs near the left crease with a long entry pass and point-blank finish that trimmed the deficit to 4-3 at the 3:15 mark, sparking a 5-0 Flames' flurry.
Isaacs put Liberty back on top at 5-4 after receiving a beautiful entry pass from Hoopman in the left side of the box for a finish into the lower-left corner of the net before Hoopman sent a spectacular feed from the perimeter into Isaacs for another easy score in the left crease.
Then, with 7:41 left in the first half, Hoopman threaded a pass from left to right through traffic in the box to senior middie Hunter Rockhill for a finish and a 7-4 Liberty lead.
Back-to-back goals by the Hokies — including a phenomenal drive and point-blank shot by Blibaum — pulled them within 7-6. But the Flames responded with senior defender Brody Ashworth and freshman attack Taydan Williams picking up ground balls in the defensive and offensive ends, respectively, before Williams found Isaacs open in left crease for an uncontested finish with 3:24 left in the first half.
Williams stretched Liberty's lead back to three goals at 9-6 with an astonishing spin move from the right side of the box before he cut between two defenders and released a driving shot into the back of the net despite taking a hit, capping the first-half scoring.
Virginia Tech set the tone from the outset of the third quarter, with Ashley receiving a feed from Matthew Patrone from behind the net and putting it away to cut the gap to 9-7. Blibaum then received a feed from sophomore middie Patrick MacAulay in the top-left corner of the box and netted a bounce shot into the top-left corner of the cage, trimming it to 9-8 with 9:46 left in the third.
Carvajal stretched to save a high shot from the left side before Blibaum delivered the tying goal off a spin move into the box and shot that deflected off Carvajal's stick into the top-left corner of the net. Junior attack Aidan O'Sullivan put the Hokies on top with a running shot down the left side of the box, giving Virginia Tech a 10-9 lead with 8:31 to play in the third.
Capitalizing on a man-up situation, after rocketing a shot off the right post, Williams stole the ball on the Hokies' ensuing clear attempt and went in for a one-on-one finish inside the same pipe, tying it at 10-10 with 5:25 left in the quarter.
Sophomore middie Will Morris won the ensuing faceoff, and Flames freshman attack Jeff Pitcher bounced a running shot from the right side of box into the top-left corner of the cage, lifting Liberty to its last lead, 11-10, at the 4:47 mark.
After Blibaum knotted the score with a shot from the top of the box, graduate middie Alexander Ashley put Virginia Tech back on top with a sharp-angled driving shot down the right side of the box with 7:45 remaining in regulation.
Morris again won the faceoff and junior long-stick middie Payton Park picked up the ground ball before Rockhill drove around the left side of the box and ripped a shot inside the right post, knotting the game at 12 with 6:42 to go.
However, the Hokies delivered the dagger with 2:58 to play when Austin Ashley completed a pass sequence by unleashing a howitzer of shot into the upper netting over the stick of Carvajal for the final score.
Liberty applied its 10-man ride to force a turnover with 1:02 remaining in regulation, but couldn't set up a shot at the equalizer before turning the ball back over to the Hokies, who effectively ran out the clock and ended the Flames' season.
"It was a battle," Ashworth said. "It's a testament to who our defense became at the end of the season. We started peaking at the right time, it's just unfortunate that we couldn't pull it out. It was not the result that we wanted, but it was a good way to end the season, to go out fighting."
"There was a lot of back and forth, and a lot of momentum changes," McQuillan added. "Both teams showed a lot of grit and had a lot of tenacity just to answer the bell. Even at the end, we had a chance. We were in the driver's seat, and we had an opportunity, and that's all we could ask for."
Senior faceoff specialist Shane Supek won 10 of 21 draws to give the Flames a fighting chance.
"We gave them what we've got, and it wasn't enough, but we played hard, so I'm proud of the team," Supek said. "We definitely showed up more and showed that we can beat them. We didn't do it tonight, but I'm glad we fought at least this time."
McQuillan said the Flames rose to the occasion and showed the Hokies a spirited effort in defeat.
"I liked how our guys answered the challenge that was facing them tonight," he said. "We had a lot of pressure. We just felt a lot of weight after winning the national championship last year and all of these expectations. After graduating as many guys as we did and bringing in the largest freshman class we've ever had, there were just a lot of unknowns this year. I'm really proud of the way they showed up when their backs were against the wall, and they were faced with what was potentially their last game of the season. I can imagine that game going a lot of ways where we come out winning, so to be in a position to beat Virginia Tech like we were just shows a ton of guts for these guys."
He said the team weathered a few lopsided losses this season, including against the Hokies as well as BYU and Auburn on an 0-3 spring break trip to Tennessee.
"They could have hung it up a long time ago," McQuillan said. "We had a lot of adversity and a lot of disappointment, but for them to end the season playing the way that they played tonight just showed a lot of growth."
"I'm excited for the younger guys to step up next year and lead this team," Ashworth added. "It's fun to watch them grow into the players that they're becoming, seeing the freshmen kind of grow up into being these leaders. I wish them all the best and hope they continue this tradition of Training Champions for Christ."
"I really couldn't be any prouder of the amazing people that God has put in my life," Carvajal added. "I love these people, and I'm so grateful the Lord gave me this community that is so special, so precious. It's bittersweet to see them go, but I can't wait for what the Lord has for them in their futures."
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterGallery: (4-25-2026) Men's lacrosse vs. Virginia Tech
"As a lacrosse fan, I thought it was a pretty exciting game," Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. "This is more like the Virginia Tech-Liberty games that we're used to. It was a fun atmosphere, fun to be able to play a playoff game at home under the lights with a decent crowd. It was just a cool experience. It would have been cooler if we'd have won, but we were pretty well aware that Virginia Tech was going to give us everything they've got, and they did. We just came up a little bit short."
The top-seeded, No. 3-ranked Hokies (12-1) dashed the fourth-seeded, No. 20 Flames' bid for a third consecutive ALC Tournament title. They advance to Saturday's 7 p.m. final against No. 2-seeded Tennessee, a 9-7 winner over No. 3 Clemson, and effectively ended the season for Liberty (7-7). The Flames have no legitimate shot at an at-large bid into the May 4-9 MCLA National Championships in Richmond, Va., which they won for the first time last spring.
"We had nothing to lose," McQuillan said. "In the regular season, we did not put up as much of a fight (in a 17-5 setback April 2 in Blacksburg, Va.). Everybody had kind of counted us out, and for good reason. I'm not trying to play the underdog card, but we had no business knocking off Virginia Tech in this game. We absolutely did catch them off guard, but credit to them for responding."
The Hokies seized a 3-2 lead on the first of four goals by senior attack Jacob Blibaum, who darted across the box before unleashing a side-armed shot past senior goalie Ian Carvajal (7 saves).
After Carvajal saved Blibaum's bounce shot from short range, graduate middie Austin Ashley doubled Virginia Tech's lead to 4-2 by rifling a shot from the top of the box with 5:18 to play in the first quarter.
Freshman attack Branson Isaacs netted five goals, and sophomore midfielder Josiah Hoopman had one goal and distributed four assists to ignite the Flames' offense.
"That kid (Isaacs) was a walk-on, wasn't even a recruited player here, and he was thrown into a role way sooner than we expected," McQuillan said. "It was mildly even unfair putting him in some of the spots we put him in this season. It's great when a freshman is able to play like that in a game like that."
Liberty Assistant Athletic Trainer Sam Nigra treated Hoopman's injury in the days leading up to the playoffs, and it made a world of difference.
"Sam worked some magic and said he popped something and he felt better," McQuillan said. "(Hoopman) just woke up this morning and just realized he had an opportunity to play, and he was going to try to take advantage of that. He was definitely not at 100 percent, but you can obviously tell that Josiah not even at 100 percent still makes a pretty big impact."
Normally more of a scoring threat, Hoopman turned into the Flames' best playmaker with his passing from the perimeter.
"His role was very different from what we rely on him for usually," McQuillan said. "He is a big, physical body who can drive to the cage and create a lot of confusion for defenses, Quarterbacking the offense from an outside perspective is not something that we've asked him to do. Today we did, and he did a great job."
Playing with a man advantage, Hoopman spotted Isaacs near the left crease with a long entry pass and point-blank finish that trimmed the deficit to 4-3 at the 3:15 mark, sparking a 5-0 Flames' flurry.
Isaacs put Liberty back on top at 5-4 after receiving a beautiful entry pass from Hoopman in the left side of the box for a finish into the lower-left corner of the net before Hoopman sent a spectacular feed from the perimeter into Isaacs for another easy score in the left crease.
Then, with 7:41 left in the first half, Hoopman threaded a pass from left to right through traffic in the box to senior middie Hunter Rockhill for a finish and a 7-4 Liberty lead.
Back-to-back goals by the Hokies — including a phenomenal drive and point-blank shot by Blibaum — pulled them within 7-6. But the Flames responded with senior defender Brody Ashworth and freshman attack Taydan Williams picking up ground balls in the defensive and offensive ends, respectively, before Williams found Isaacs open in left crease for an uncontested finish with 3:24 left in the first half.
Williams stretched Liberty's lead back to three goals at 9-6 with an astonishing spin move from the right side of the box before he cut between two defenders and released a driving shot into the back of the net despite taking a hit, capping the first-half scoring.
Virginia Tech set the tone from the outset of the third quarter, with Ashley receiving a feed from Matthew Patrone from behind the net and putting it away to cut the gap to 9-7. Blibaum then received a feed from sophomore middie Patrick MacAulay in the top-left corner of the box and netted a bounce shot into the top-left corner of the cage, trimming it to 9-8 with 9:46 left in the third.
Carvajal stretched to save a high shot from the left side before Blibaum delivered the tying goal off a spin move into the box and shot that deflected off Carvajal's stick into the top-left corner of the net. Junior attack Aidan O'Sullivan put the Hokies on top with a running shot down the left side of the box, giving Virginia Tech a 10-9 lead with 8:31 to play in the third.
Capitalizing on a man-up situation, after rocketing a shot off the right post, Williams stole the ball on the Hokies' ensuing clear attempt and went in for a one-on-one finish inside the same pipe, tying it at 10-10 with 5:25 left in the quarter.
Sophomore middie Will Morris won the ensuing faceoff, and Flames freshman attack Jeff Pitcher bounced a running shot from the right side of box into the top-left corner of the cage, lifting Liberty to its last lead, 11-10, at the 4:47 mark.
After Blibaum knotted the score with a shot from the top of the box, graduate middie Alexander Ashley put Virginia Tech back on top with a sharp-angled driving shot down the right side of the box with 7:45 remaining in regulation.
Morris again won the faceoff and junior long-stick middie Payton Park picked up the ground ball before Rockhill drove around the left side of the box and ripped a shot inside the right post, knotting the game at 12 with 6:42 to go.
However, the Hokies delivered the dagger with 2:58 to play when Austin Ashley completed a pass sequence by unleashing a howitzer of shot into the upper netting over the stick of Carvajal for the final score.
Liberty applied its 10-man ride to force a turnover with 1:02 remaining in regulation, but couldn't set up a shot at the equalizer before turning the ball back over to the Hokies, who effectively ran out the clock and ended the Flames' season.
"It was a battle," Ashworth said. "It's a testament to who our defense became at the end of the season. We started peaking at the right time, it's just unfortunate that we couldn't pull it out. It was not the result that we wanted, but it was a good way to end the season, to go out fighting."
"There was a lot of back and forth, and a lot of momentum changes," McQuillan added. "Both teams showed a lot of grit and had a lot of tenacity just to answer the bell. Even at the end, we had a chance. We were in the driver's seat, and we had an opportunity, and that's all we could ask for."
Senior faceoff specialist Shane Supek won 10 of 21 draws to give the Flames a fighting chance.
"We gave them what we've got, and it wasn't enough, but we played hard, so I'm proud of the team," Supek said. "We definitely showed up more and showed that we can beat them. We didn't do it tonight, but I'm glad we fought at least this time."
McQuillan said the Flames rose to the occasion and showed the Hokies a spirited effort in defeat.
"I liked how our guys answered the challenge that was facing them tonight," he said. "We had a lot of pressure. We just felt a lot of weight after winning the national championship last year and all of these expectations. After graduating as many guys as we did and bringing in the largest freshman class we've ever had, there were just a lot of unknowns this year. I'm really proud of the way they showed up when their backs were against the wall, and they were faced with what was potentially their last game of the season. I can imagine that game going a lot of ways where we come out winning, so to be in a position to beat Virginia Tech like we were just shows a ton of guts for these guys."
He said the team weathered a few lopsided losses this season, including against the Hokies as well as BYU and Auburn on an 0-3 spring break trip to Tennessee.
"They could have hung it up a long time ago," McQuillan said. "We had a lot of adversity and a lot of disappointment, but for them to end the season playing the way that they played tonight just showed a lot of growth."
"I'm excited for the younger guys to step up next year and lead this team," Ashworth added. "It's fun to watch them grow into the players that they're becoming, seeing the freshmen kind of grow up into being these leaders. I wish them all the best and hope they continue this tradition of Training Champions for Christ."
"I really couldn't be any prouder of the amazing people that God has put in my life," Carvajal added. "I love these people, and I'm so grateful the Lord gave me this community that is so special, so precious. It's bittersweet to see them go, but I can't wait for what the Lord has for them in their futures."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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