TOWSON, Md. – Longwood rode two goals from Hollie MacDonald and held Towson to just two second-half shots to take down the Tigers 2-1 Friday evening at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
 
The goals were the team-leading fourth and fifth of the season for MacDonald, who put Longwood (1-3-0) on the board just 13:38 into the game and again 8:18 into the second half. It was the second straight multi-goal game for the senior midfielder, who has now scored on five of her seven shots this season.
 
MacDonald's goals provided a cushion just large enough for the Lancers to survive a second-half goal from Towson's Jenney Heather, who beat Longwood freshman keeper Katie Wyman in the 53rd minute to cut the lead to 2-1. That goal was the lone blemish on the night for Wyman, who in her third start of the season batted away three saves en route to her first career win.
 
"It's good to get our first win," said Longwood head coach Iain Byers. "We knew it would be a scrappy game coming here, and it was a close one last year. We stressed to the team how hard they'd have to fight and how it wouldn't be the prettiest game. I was super proud of them in terms of how they worked as a group and how they've worked over the past couple days to implement some things we needed to work on. I was happy with the result."
 
The win rectifies a 3-2 loss to the Tigers last season in which Towson survived five Longwood shots and a penalty corner within the final six minutes of the game. The Lancers outshot Towson 12-6 that day and repeated that dominance with a 15-5 shot advantage Friday, but the difference came on the defensive end where Longwood's veteran backfield contingent led by senior midfielder Meghan O'Connor held Towson to just four shots on goal.
 
 "We're really happy to get our first win," said senior captain Jennifer Burris, who hammered seven of Longwood's 15 shots Friday. "It gives us a lot of momentum going into the first conference game. We really put the gameplan into action today, and I think that says a lot about how hard we practiced this week. We're looking forward to carrying that into our preparation this week as we get ready for Miami."
 
Longwood hosts Mid-American Conference (MAC) foe Miami (Ohio) next Friday at the Longwood Athletics Complex in the conference opener. The RedHawks will bring a 4-2 overall record into the matchup after logging a third-place MAC finish last year, Longwood field hockey's first as a member of the conference.

#GoWood