Virginia Tech Falls in Final Minutes to Liberty, 15-14

By Will Locklin

Staff Writer

February 23, 2022

BLACKSBURG — As Liberty’s Jordan Baerga caught Andrea Colavito’s pass a mere few feet in front of the goal, Baerga swung her stick back as she released the ball. A split second later, Baerga’s shot was in the top right corner of the net, beating Virginia Tech goalkeeper Morgan Berman’s stick, while tying Wednesday’s matchup at 14 late in the fourth quarter.

When Baerga and her team were done celebrating the game-tying goal, there were just under four minutes left. It was the late-game collapse the Hokies had tried to avoid, but couldn’t.

Forty-five seconds before the equalizer, the Flames had scored a goal via Colavito to come within one. Liberty trailed by two in the final five minutes of play. Within a minute, the game was destined for overtime.

And in overtime, Mackenzie Lehman’s opportunity at the net couldn’t have been more perfect for the Flames. The Liberty midfielder moved from left to right with a VT defender two feet in front of the goal. With the ball in stick, she wound up and released a shot that reached the back of the goal as her team beat Berman for the third time late in the game.

The Flames greeted her teammate in light of her game-winner in overtime as Virginia Tech fell to Liberty for the first time in program history on Wednesday afternoon, 14-13. The Hokies held a 13-9 lead heading into the fourth period of play, but were unable to close the door on their opponent as the Flames scored six goals, pulling off a dramatic upset at Thompson Field.

“We had some poor decisions in the last five minutes of the game,” VT head coach Kristen Skiera said. “We beat ourselves, in particular having our fourth yellow card of the game, that put us a man down.”

The yellow cards certainly did make it tougher for the Hokies to finish the job against the Flames. Five players were issued yellow cards throughout, Four of which for Virginia Tech, including defender Sydney Golini, defender Jordan Tilley, attack Whitney Liebler, and midfielder Olivia Vergano for Virginia Tech. Just one came from Liberty from midfielder Mia Toscano.

Both Vergano and Liebler were issued their yellow cards in the final period of play. The two girls combined for four goals scored in the game, but were unable to play during the final stretch run and overtime.

Lehman’s game-winner was her second goal of the afternoon. The first was at the start of the third period, ending a five-goal run from Virginia Tech going back to the second period. In both goals Lehman impressively charged into the 8-meter arc and fired a bullet past Tech keeper Berman for her seventh and eighth goals of the season.

The game was a tale of three parts as Liberty shocked Virginia Tech in the first period. The Flames led 6-2 after one period due to the efforts of Brooke Bryan and Lizzy Ferguson. Both scored two goals in the first period and set the tone from the jump Liberty wasn’t going to be an easy task.

After another Flame goal to start the second period, Tech turned the tide in the middle portions of the game. From down 7-2, the Hokies flipped the script by the end of the third period to lead, 13-9. They went on a 11-2 run for just under 28 minutes of play during the second and third periods.

Team captain Sarah Lubnow was a big reason why Virginia Tech was in the driver's seat early. She totaled seven points on the day including three goals scored, while dishing out four assists.

“We moved the ball well and we were patient, working out the clock worked for us,” Lubnow said. “When we were doing that we were having success.”

Another key cog in the Virginia Tech offensive attack was Sophie Student who came away with a hat trick of three total goals for the game. Student leads the team in goals scored with nine. This is also her second three-goal game of the season.

“When I’m most successful is when our team is playing quickly and moving the ball quickly,” Student said. “All my openings to goal were when my teammates were moving the ball around and looking for me in the middle.”

Liberty ended with a statistical edge in shots, shots on goal, clears, turnover, and free position shots. Most of the advantages they gained came from that final fourth period push. Entering the final period, Virginia Tech led all those categories.

It’s a tough loss to overcome but one Virginia Tech must get over quickly as it travels to face the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday at noon. Liberty, meanwhile, will return home and host Old Dominion next Wednesday at 3 p.m.