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FARMVILLE, Va. -- Liberty midfielder Paige Britton went off for six goals, including three straight in the second half, to lift Liberty to an 18-8 win over Longwood Wednesday afternoon at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field.

Britton scored all six of her goals during a 13-0 run for the Flames (3-9, 2-0 Big South), who caught fire late in the second half to overcome a 5-4 deficit and pull away to their second straight win. She was one of four Liberty players with a hat trick, joining Kayla Foster, who scored four goals and dished three assists, and Grace Fletcher and Brianna McCaffrey, who scored three goals apiece.

Britton's breakout performance Wednesday doubled her goal count in 2017 as she entered the contest with just six in the Flames' previous 11 games.
Wednesday's loss was the second-straight home defeat for the blue and white after starting the 2017 campaign 3-0 with wins over George Washington, Howard and St. Bonaventure. Both losses have come in double digit fashion against Commonwealth opponents Liberty and George Mason.

Foster, who was the first Flame to tally a hat trick, scored three of Liberty's first five goals – including the game-tying goal in the late stages of the first half. She also spread the wealth over the 13-0 run, assisting on two of Britton's goals and one of Fletcher's.

McCaffrey, who leads the Flames in tallies this season, got off to a slow start offensively before quickly flipping the switch, tickling the twine twice in a six-minute span. Wednesday's hat trick pushes the sophomore midfielder to 23 goals on the year, the lone Flame with 20-plus marks.

The Flames used the transition game to dictate the pace in their onslaught, matching their season-high output with back-to-back 18-goal contests to open Big South play, both contests on the road. Liberty controlled almost every facet of the game including shots (37-21), ground balls (29-20) and free-position shots (4-8).

Entering Wednesday's action, the Flames averaged just over eight goals per game and were 10^th in the nation in ground balls with 21.82 per contest.

Longwood (5-7, 1-1 Big South) got three goals from freshman attacker Kaitlin Luccarelli, and two more from classmate Dana Joss. Those two scored the Lancers' first five goals of the game, lifting Longwood to a 5-4 lead before Liberty opened its game-breaking run on an equalizer from Foster with 4:11 remaining in the first half. Liberty went on to score four more goals before halftime to take a 9-5 lead into the break before opening the second half with eight straight goals to push the lead to 16-5.

Luccarelli's three-goal day gives her 22 on the season and the Lancers three 20-goal scorers in the 2017 campaign to lead Longwood freshmen in goals and points, as well as tied for the team lead in points with sophomore Stephanie Roberts.

Joss, who has come on strong as of late for the blue and white, racked up two more goals for her 12^th of her career, all 12 coming over the past six contests. The freshman midfielder had only attempted two shots before her recent outburst, but has picked up the pace due to injuries in the Lancer attack.

The youth movement was in full effect Wednesday for Longwood as all eight goals came from the sticks of freshmen, the first time the Lancers have done that all season. Molly Barkman added two more goals and won seven draw controls in the losing effort, pushing her to 15 goals and 62 draw controls. Barkman entered Wednesday's contest first in the Big South and top-25 in the nation in draw controls.

After a six-assist and two-goal performance that earned her first Big South Freshman of the Week honor, Lexi Davis followed suit with a last-minute goal to close the game and extend her points streak to 11-straight to begin her career. The Parker, Colo., native leads the team in assists with 18 and sits third in the Big South.

The loss evens Longwood's Big South record at 1-1, putting the Lancers in a tie for fourth place in the conference standings. The Lancers will resume Big South play this Saturday with a road matchup at High Point before returning home for a two-game homestand against Campbell on April 12 and Winthrop on April 15.

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