Liberty University advanced to the next round of the Atlantic Sun Women’s Lacrosse Championship after defeating Kennesaw State 16-9 on April 29. The Lady Flames, now with an overall record of 8-10, will face tournament host and No. 2 seed Jacksonville (11-5) on Thursday at 6 p.m.
The win was highlighted by Katie Colavito’s five goals, including two during woman-up situations. Olivia Young added four goals, converting six out of nine shots on goal. Ava Menna played a key role in possession with eight draw controls, while Ava Rajala scored three times for Liberty. Sophia Nesci contributed four assists as the team outdrew Kennesaw State by a margin of 16-11.
A critical stretch came when Liberty scored eight consecutive goals between the second and third quarters after the game was tied at three each early in the second quarter. This run included three from Young and two from Colavito. Despite a late push from Kennesaw State to narrow Liberty’s lead to five goals in the third quarter, Liberty responded quickly with three more scores.
Other notable performances included Kate Troutman with two goals—her first multi-goal game since her freshman season—and defensive contributions from Madeleine Klunder who led with four ground balls and three caused turnovers. Goalkeeper Rachel Hines made four saves for Liberty, bringing her season averages to an 11.65 goals-against average and a .429 save percentage.
Colavito remains atop Liberty’s scoring chart this season with 46 total goals and now ranks third in program history with 130 career scores. Rajala continues as team leader in points (61) and assists (33), while Young has maintained her streak of scoring at least once over her last twelve games.
Looking ahead, Liberty will play Jacksonville at Rock Stadium in Jacksonville on Thursday evening; fans can watch live coverage on ESPN+.
