BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.- Shelby Hooe cut the Flames' deficit to 2-1, but the Liberty University women's soccer team used two second half goals, to defeat Gardner-Webb in a Big South Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon at Greene-Harbison Stadium.
Hooe's goal in the 67th minute was her seventh of the year, which ties her career high for most goals in a season, which she set last year.
The goal for the Runnin' Bulldogs was just the ninth goal allowed by Liberty this season, only the third goal conceded by the Flames in conference action.
Holly Van Noord picked up the win for the Flames, as she recorded three saves for her conference-leading 10th victory of the season.
Justine Ibarra led the offensive attack for the Runnin' Bulldogs, as she totaled four shots on the afternoon, and was very precise with her shooting, as three of her four shots were on frame.
Liberty spent the majority of the first half on offense, as it outshot GWU 9-1, but were unable to fget a shot past Chauvin, and both teams went into the halftime break deadlocked at zero.
The Flames would jump out to a 1-0 lead in the 58th minute as Maddie Boone received a pass from teammate Brittany Aanderud, and positioned her shot into the lower left hand corner of the goal, for her first goal of the season.
Aanderud would find the back of the net just over a minute later, as she curled the ball from the corner of the eighteen into the upper left hand corner of the net, for her fourth goal of the season.
Gardner-Webb would not quit though as it continued to press forward on offense. The offensive pressure by GWU paid off in the 67th minute, when Brandi Arey chipped a ball over the top of the Liberty defenders to Hooe, who vollied it past Van Noord to cut the Flames defecit to one.
The Runnin' Bulldogs force the offensive attack to tie the game at two, but would come up just short as Liberty would go on for the 2-1 victory and win its conference leading sixth match of the year.
Gardner-Webb travels to Presbyterian for its next match on Wednesday (Oct. 22) before returning home for its last two home matches of the season against Brevard (Oct. 23) and on Saturday for Senior Day against Charleston Southern.
