FARMVILLE, Va. – Three different Lancers found the back of the net, as the Longwood University men’s soccer team defeated Big South Conference and in-state opponent VMI (1-10-1, 1-5-0 BSC), 3-1, on Wednesday evening at the Athletics Complex in Farmville. The Lancers remain unbeaten in conference play with the decision, improving to 5-4-1 overall and 4-0-1 in the Big South. Sophomores Zach Crandall/Lorton and Zach Corcoran/Martinsville, along with freshman Ben Ferrell/Fairfax Station, scored one goal each to pace the squad in the victory. This marks the fifth consecutive game with at least one point for Ferrell. Junior Anthony Ugorji/Washington, D.C. and freshman Vaughn Fowler/Haymarket logged one assist apiece on the night, as well. Longwood will travel to fellow Big South member Campbell University on Wednesday, October 23 for a match beginning at 6 p.m.

“We made heavy weather of the second period after putting ourselves in a commanding position at halftime,” said head coach Jon Atkinson. “Part of it may have been complacency, but I have to give a ton of credit to Richie and his VMI guys, as they worked very hard to get back in the game and had some good chances. A win is always a reason to be appreciative, and we had three different scorers, but we know we can’t afford to let our standards drop if we have any aspirations of climbing the league rankings in the coming weeks.”

Longwood maintained control in its offensive end for much of the first half, holding VMI without a shot for over 26 minutes. Ugorji recorded the first chance of the night for the Lancers, receiving a cross before putting a strong shot on goal that was stopped by the Keydets’ keeper, Daniel Kitchen. Ugorji came close again four minutes later with a header on a set piece, but his attempt was cleared off the line thanks to a defensive save by VMI’s Blake McCauley. Longwood pulled ahead, 1-0, in the 14th minute, as Fowler sent a long cross from almost 40 yards out to the center of the box for Crandall, who knocked the ball down before tipping it into the lower corner.

“As a team, we’re scoring a lot more,” said Crandall. “It takes the load off the defense. Being able to play the ball well throughout the field and moving the ball quickly really just led to the option being open for Vaughn to play a perfect cross into me. I barely had to do anything for the ball on my goal, so credit to him. It’s really nice to get the win and stay undefeated in the conference.”

The Lancers used strong passing to slow the game down and maintain possession for several minutes until VMI gained its first momentum of the night, allowing Aaron White to fire a pair of shots, but the first was saved by freshman keeper Carlos Canas/Manassas and the second sailed wide. In the 30th minute, Crandall tracked down the ball on a corner play and dished a cross that ricocheted off the diving VMI goalkeeper before Ferrell collected the rebound and put a high shot on target to extend the Lancers’ edge to 2-0. The Keydets tallied three more shots in the half, including a chance in the final seconds by Chase Barnett that was turned away by Canas, sending Longwood into the break with the two-goal advantage.

VMI came close to pulling within one in the first minutes of the second half with a good cross to the far side, but the tip from White missed just barely wide. The teams traded one shot apiece before the Keydets had back-to-back chances, including a 30-yard boot that caught Canas out too far, but turned just right. Fowler followed with a pair of attempts for Longwood before VMI got on the board with a free kick from 40 yards out by Max Farinholt, making the score 2-1 in the 81st minute. Longwood retaliated less than two minutes later, however, as Ugorji crossed from the right side to Corcoran for the tap in to secure the 3-1 victory for the Lancers.

Longwood outshot VMI, 13-10, in the decision, including an 8-6 edge in shots on goal. The Lancers also earned 10 corner kicks, compared to three for the Keydets. Canas totaled five saves in the complete-game performance, as he improved to 4-3-2 in net this season. Wednesday’s match marked the 14th meeting ever between Longwood and VMI in the sport of men’s soccer. The Lancers now hold an 11-3-0 advantage in the all-time series.
 

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