FARMVILLE, Va. – Sophomore Kim Ruiter/Huizen, the Netherlands tallied a pair of second half goals less than one minute apart before the Longwood University field hockey team conceded a pair of late goals to fall, 4-2, against Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference (NorPac) and in-state rival Liberty University (7-4, 2-0) on Wednesday afternoon at the Athletics Complex. Ruiter, who tied a career high with two goals in the outing, knotted the score at 2-2, but goals by the Flames' Natalie and Serena Barr in the final eight minutes of play sealed the decision. Longwood (5-8, 3-1) is slated to square off against Boston College in a neutral site contest hosted by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Sunday, October 13 beginning at 3 p.m.

"We knew today's conference game against a good Liberty side was going to be challenging for us," said head coach Iain Byers. "I thought we played a very good game and stuck to the game plan well. To go two goals down and fight back to 2-2 showed good character, and it definitely showed the experience we've gained throughout the season. The third goal was a tough one and the fourth one was when we were chasing the game. Although the score line shows 4-2, it was much closer. We always enjoy good games against Liberty and we've got another one next week, so we hope we can do the same to them at their place and get the win."

After much back-and-forth action in the first 10-plus minutes, the Lancers registered the first shot of the afternoon with a backhand attempt by sophomore Nicole Deckard/Selinsgrove, Pa. that bounced off the right post. Liberty retaliated with a pair of attempts, both of which sailed wide. The evenly matched teams battled through eight more minutes of possession changes without a shot for either side before Liberty earned a corner and Serena Barr notched consecutive shot attempts that were saved by diving senior goalkeeper Kaye Goulding/Tickhill, England. The Flames would take advantage of their next corner opportunity, however, as Natalie Barr dished a short pass across the circle to Helen Doolittle, who slapped a strong shot towards the right corner of the cage to give Liberty a 1-0 edge at halftime.

Coming out of the break, the Lancers were quick to attack, carrying the ball into their offensive zone and forcing a corner. The squad made several good passes around the circle during the play before sophomore Emily Leonard/Virginia Beach fired a shot wide. Longwood, who outshot Liberty, 7-6, in the second half, earned another corner on its next possession, but a push shot by Ruiter was blocked. The Flames answered with a pair of corners of their own, extending their lead on the second chance when Serena Barr found Ashlee Krulock on the left side for the tip in with just over 21 minutes to play in the match. Longwood turned the game around with back-to-back goals by Ruiter less than one minute apart. Her first score came on a corner play, as a pass from freshman teammate Lindsey Lysher/Fredericksburg set up a backhand shot to cut the deficit to just one. On the team's next possession, Ruiter took control of the ball during a scramble in front of the net and scooped it over the opposition's diving keeper, knotting the score at 2-2. The Flames regained the momentum with less than eight minutes to play, as Natalie and Serena Barr connected on a corner for the game-winning goal. The visitors sealed the 4-2 decision in the final two minutes when Natalie Barr struck again.

Liberty outshot Longwood, 12-8, and forced more corners, 5-3. Wednesday's contest marked the fourth meeting between Longwood and Liberty in the sport of field hockey. The all-time series is now tied, 2-2.