The Liberty Flames are one of the newest teams in the MCLA. The Flames hail from Lynchburg, Virginia and in only three years have become a force to be reckoned with in the SELC. The Flames last year went 7-2, only losing to SCAD and Elon. The Flames finished their season with a rematch against Elon in SELC semi- finals, Elon went on to win the SELC later in the weekend.
The Flames a lead once again by their stellar Junior attackman Kurt Tobias, who last year had 37 G, 56 Pts, and a PPG at 4.667. Along with Sophomore attackmen Andrew Walter and Daniel Forbes, who both had big Freshman campaigns, the Flames offense will look to overpower the rest of the SELC. Liberty returns most of their defense and one of their Senior captains, Nate Lowmaster. Along with the return of Senior goalie Asa Keimig between the pipes the Flames back end will be as strong as their front end.
The Flames have really upped their strength of schedule for this upcoming season. They will play 5 teams who were ranked in the top 25 at the end of last season. The Flames will play Coastal Carolina, Indiana Tech, Elon, SCAD, and Grand Valley State during their 2013 campaign. They will also play MCLA newcomer George Washington and Richmond, who will be moving to the NCAA D1 level after this season. Lowmaster said this about the Flames’ upcoming season “Our strength of schedule for the 2013 season has set a whole new standard for the Liberty University Men’s Lacrosse program. When we win a majority of our games against these top-tier teams, Liberty Men’s Lacrosse will be known as a national threat.”
With the jump in competition and the strong group of returning players, along with a good group of Freshman, I see the Flames being a power on the National stage this year. I also see the Flames winning the SELC this season. With an overpowering offense and a stingy defense the Flames have a recipe for success. The Flames have a good group of men in Lynchburg, and will have many things to say come Tournament time.
