Longwood earns home win past High Point 4-2
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Freshman Amanda Spencer/Gibsonia, Pennsylvania scored two goals, including what proved to be the game-winner in the 16th minute, to lead Longwood University to a 4-2 Big South Conference women’s soccer victory past High Point University on Wednesday night at the Athletics Complex in Farmville. Sophomore Alana Mackey/Leesburg and freshman Christina Corbin/Glen Allen each added a goal, while Spencer, senior Kelsey Pardue/Richmond and freshman Gina D’Orazio/Moseley each contributed assists for the host Lancers (5-6-2, 4-1 Big South). Taylor Parker and Sarah Sermonet each had late goals for the visiting Panthers (5-7, 3-2 Big South), who trailed 3-0 at the intermission. Longwood will play on the road at Big South opponent Gardner-Webb University on Saturday, October 12 at 2 p.m. in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.
“That’s a good win against one of the top teams in our league year-in and year-out,” said 20th-year head coach Todd Dyer ‘93. “We still need to put in a full 90 and finish games when we can. Being up 4-0 and then giving up those two late goals shows us just how much we need to work on closing out games in that situation. With all that said, we’ll take that result and keep working hard as we prepare for Gardner-Webb.”
Longwood wasted little time at the beginning as Mackey scored her second goal of the season at 4:02 from a set piece on a corner kick when she collected a loose ball in the box and shot successfully to the upper 90. The Lancers made it 2-0 at 6:59 after Spencer rebounded a shot in the box by Pardue and beat the keeper with a shot to the left side of the net. Spencer added her second goal of the match, and her team-leading eighth goal of the season, at 15:49 on a shot to the right corner of the net with an assist from D’Orazio, who had crossed the ball into the box from the left side. It was 3-0 at the break, much to the delight of a LancerStrong crowd of 337, who braved the elements on a cold and rainy night.
Longwood increased its advantage to 4-0 just past midway of the second period on the goal by Corbin at 74:27, the first goal of her college career. Corbin rebounded a shot from inside the box by Spencer, who gained the assist, and finished with her own shot into the net. High Point avoided the shutout when Parker scored at 79:52, unassisted, on a shot from about 25 yards that sailed over the head of the keeper. The Panthers added another late, late goal at 89:57 on a made shot by Sermonet, who beat the keeper left off a cross into the box from the right side by Jacky Kessler.
Longwood had a 21-18 advantage in shots, including 11-4 in the first period, and it was a 14-6 lead in attempts on goal, while the Lancers had a 7-6 edge on corner kicks. Spencer, Pardue and junior Samantha Phillips/Chesapeake each had four shots to lead the Lancers. Graduate student an goalkeeper Shelby Hall/Purcellville played the first 84:43 in front of the net with the four saves and one goal allowed, while redshirt-junior keeper Dana Wallace/Charlottesville played the final 5:17, yielding the last-second goal.
Becca Hemby had six shots, and Parker had four shots for High Point, while Jesse May played the duration with 10 saves for the Panthers. HPU will play at Liberty on Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.
Longwood and High Point were meeting for the 10th time in the sport of women’s soccer, and the Lancers won for just the second time overall -- first as a Division I member -- as the Panthers still lead the series, 6-2-2.
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