September 27, 2009

BOX SCORE

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Longwood University took a 2-1 women's soccer road victory at VMI of the Big South Conference Sunday afternoon in Lexington.  Junior Alex Myers/Stafford (Colonial Forge) scored what proved to be the game-winning goal at 26:28 as the Lancers won their seventh match in eight contests while improving to 7-3.  It's the best start to a season since first playing the Division I schedule in 2004, and the finest overall start since 2002 (7-2-1, Division II), while the Keydets dropped to 2-6.  Longwood will play again on Wednesday, September 30, remaining on the road at nearby Liberty University of the Big South Conference in Lynchburg beginning at 4 p.m..  The Lancers are now 4-0 against Big South schools this fall.
    
Longwood scored first at 13:23 when senior Michelle DeSieno/Centreville (Chantilly) beat the keeper off a cross from just outside the box by junior transfer Jessica Varela/Midlothian (Clover Hill).  Myers made it 2-0 as she scored for the Lancers at 26:28, rebounding a shot by senior Kaylyn Mahon/Spring Grove, Pa. (Spring Grove) that was stopped and kicked around in front of the net before the finish.  It remained 2-0 at the intermission before VMI avoided the home shutout when Simone Jimenez tallied a goal at 63:12 on another rebound, this time from a shot by Kacey Hall for the Keydets.
    
“We'll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day,” said 16th-year head coach Todd Dyer '93.  “VMI is always very organized, disciplined, and stubborn in how we match-up against them.  At the end of the day, we got two goals and that's all it took to win the game.  We'll feel good about that and look to get better.”
    
Longwood took a 17-9 advantage in shots, including 10-4 in attempts on-goal, and the Lancers had a 9-5 edge on corner kicks.  Redshirt-junior keeper Marcia Biddle/Woodbridge (Gar-Field) played the entire match in front of the net for Longwood with three saves.  Heidi Beemer and Angela Redmond split periods for VMI with four saves each.