LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Battling a Connecticut team that ended its 26-game home winning streak in 2017, Liberty men's lacrosse carried plenty of motivation into Saturday's rematch at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields.

Trailing 4-2 after the first quarter, the sixth-ranked Flames (4-0) netted six unanswered goals in the second to seize an 8-4 advantage en route to a 12-7 triumph over the Huskies, who were coming off an 8-7 overtime loss at No. 8 Virginia Tech on Friday night.

"We came out flat and they came out fired up tonight," Liberty coach Kyle McQuillan said. "It took some time for us to match their intensity, but we were able to do that in the second quarter."

Sophomore midfielder C.J. Nichols, who started the scoring for the Flames in the first quarter, netted the tying goal early in the second before sophomore attack Thomas Pinel gave them a 5-4 lead that they would not relinquish.

"C.J.'s kind of like our fire-starter," McQuillan said. "He comes out early and sets the tone. He's scored the first goal in two of our last three games so he's been great for us to kind of set the tempo."

Junior attack Caleb Britton gave Liberty some separation with his second score, a running bounce shot down the right side of the box 3:32 before halftime, before junior midfielder Carter Elliott tallied two goals in the final minute. He scored off a rebound in the left side of the box before taking a pass off the ensuing faceoff and rifling a running shot past Huskies goalie Drew Duarte despite colliding into a UConn defender.

Elliott played in his first game after suffering a broken arm in December.

"The Carter of old was back, and to get three goals was a huge confidence boost for him," McQuillan said.

The Huskies started the second-half scoring before senior midfielder Chase Wright responded with a fast-break counterattack and low finish on a driving shot through the center of the box. Elliott then extended the Flames' edge to 10-5 at the 10:50 mark by receiving a pass from freshman midfielder Cameron Carter and ripping a sharp-angled shot from the left side into the upper netting.

With the Flames in a man-up situation, Wright padded the lead to 11-5 with a short-ranged shot from the left side assisted by Nichols before UConn attack Cam Criniti got one goal back moments later.

Nichols completed his hat trick off an assist from Wright and stretched Liberty's lead to 12-6 with 11:46 remaining in regulation.

Freshman faceoff specialist Cole Jankowsky took the majority of Liberty's attempts and the Flames won 12 out of 23 as a team, also holding a 48-26 advantage in shots and 39-18 edge in ground-ball pickups.

Senior goalie Brayden Harriman made 12 saves and came out of the cage to intercept a long pass on a UConn fast break.

"These guys are as good as they want to be," McQuillan said. "It shows our potential and I know we are a team on the rise. Talent-wise, there's not going to be too many guys in the country that stack up. It's going to come down to just how we play as a team and the way we stick to our systems."

Liberty will play three games over its spring break, starting Saturday at 2 p.m. at West Virginia. The Flames will then face No. 25 Davenport on March 11 in Beverly Hills, Mich., and top-ranked, defending MCLA DI national champion Michigan State on March 13 in Grand Blanc, Mich.

by Ted Allen | Liberty.edu