A solid defensive effort helped propel the Liberty Flames past the Campbell Camels, 2-0, Friday night in a Big South match at Osborne Stadium.

Midfielder Kevin Mendoza netted his fifth goal of the year and fellow midfielder Pepe Segarrascored his second of the season for the Flames in the victory.

Liberty goalkeeper James Knoebel backed a resilient Flames defense, making five saves to record his third shutout of the season.

Liberty moves to 2-2 in the Big South and 5-7-1 overall. Campbell drops to 2-3 in conference and 5-6 overall.

The host Flames took a 1-0 lead with their first shot of the contest at 9:55. Rigo Rojas took possession of the ball at midfield and sent it ahead for Mendoza. The midfielder pushed the ball forward and ripped a shot from the top of the arc of the 18-yard box, finding the lower right corner of the net to give Liberty the lead.

Meanwhile, Knoebel turned away three Campbell shots in the half, as the Flames took their 1-0 edge into halftime.

The Liberty defense held tight during the opening minutes of the second half. After Liberty's middle defenders Kyle Carr and Nico Bellarde forced a shot high from Gideon Betts from within the 18-yard box, Knoebel corralled another shot by Betts off a corner kick and cleared the ball during the 49th minute.

Off a breakout during the 55th minute, Liberty's Segarra took a crossing pass from forward Tresor Mbuyu and hit the crossbar with a shot from the left post.

During the 70th minute, Segarra gave the Flames a two-goal cushion. Off a free kick on the left side of the field just outside the 18-yard box, the midfielder launched a scoring strike into the upper right corner of the net for a 2-0 Liberty lead.

Liberty defense continued its tight play the rest of the way. The Flames did not allow Campbell a shot attempt until the last minute of play, sealing the win.

The Camels held an 11-9 advantage in shots and a 7-5 edge in corner kicks.

Campbell goalkeeper Matthew Mozynski made two saves in the contest.

Liberty next travels to Boiling Springs, N.C., for a Big South Conference match against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs, next Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.

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