FARMVILLE, Va. – Sophomore Jennifer Burris/Virginia Beach notched a career-high six points to propel the Longwood University field hockey team to an 8-1 victory against Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference (NorPac) opponent Appalachian State University (1-3) in the squad's first league game of the season on Saturday afternoon. The Lancers (2-4) scored six times in the second half to pull away and secure the decision. Senior Stacey de Grandhomme/Cape Town, South Africa added to the offensive effort with two goals and one assist for five total points. Longwood returns to action on Tuesday, September 17 when the squad travels to NorPac and in-state opponent Radford University for a 7 p.m. tilt.

"This is a good result for us," said head coach Iain Byers. "We were very happy with the performance. The last four or five games have been tough, so for the team to bounce back in such a positive manner, make the changes we asked them to, and to execute at such a high level, made the coaching staff very proud. We can't say more about how happy we are. App State is always a great team and this is always a game that can be tough, so to come out with such a rewarding result is great and good for us in the conference, as well. We're really proud of the people who got on the score sheet with Hollie getting two and Lindsey getting her first goal. Other freshmen really stepped up, too.

"Hopefully, we'll use this as a springboard for the Radford game on Tuesday, which is always tough on grass. We'll be ready for it, though. We've got a plan of attack that has worked the past couple of years, so we're hoping it'll do the same again."

Burris set new personal bests with two goals and two assists in the outing. Sophomore Hollie MacDonald/Yorktown also recorded a career high with two goals for four points on the day. Junior Jessica Diaz/Chesapeake, who had four points in the decision, tallied a personal-best two assists, as well. Freshman Lindsey Lysher/Fredericksburg rounded out the scorers for Longwood with her first-career goal.

The Lancers broke the game open less than two minutes into play, as Diaz used solid stick work to dribble away from a defender and chip a shot into the upper right corner of the cage for her first goal of the season. Longwood threatened to extend its margin twice with precise shots from sophomore Nicole Deckard/Selinsgrove, Pa., but both were batted away by ASU goalkeeper Sarah Anderson. After over 23 minutes of scoreless play, ASU failed to convert on a corner opportunity, allowing Burris to gain control for a breakaway down the field, and despite being outnumbered in the circle, 4-1, to poke a shot through the defense, giving Longwood a 2-0 edge at halftime.

Longwood pulled ahead, 3-0, in the first three minutes of the second half on a direct corner. Burris inserted to Diaz, who made a clean stick-stop before pushing the ball to de Grandhomme for a hard shot to the far corner of the cage. MacDonald followed with a pair of goals in less than a two minute span to make it a 5-0 Longwood advantage with just over 24 minutes remaining in the contest. The Mountaineers retaliated with their lone goal of the outing at 21:23, as Caroline Phillips retrieved her own rebound and put her second attempt past diving senior keeper Kaye Goulding/Tickhill, England to make the score 5-1. ASU would not come any closer, however, as the Lancers added three more goals in the final 18 minutes of the contest. Burris took an off-balance shot alone in the circle to score her second goal of the day before Lysher collected a rebound and sent a shot of her own skidding past the opposing keeper to give Longwood a 7-1 advantage with just over 12 minutes remaining. Diaz and de Grandhomme executed a clean give-and-go play to record the squad's final goal of the game and seal the 8-1 decision.

Longwood outshot Appalachian State, 21-8, and forced more penalty corners, 5-4. Goulding recorded four saves in the victory. Saturday's contest marked the 29th meeting between Longwood and Appalachian State in the sport of field hockey. The Lancers now hold a 24-5 advantage in the all-time series.