HIGH POINT, N.C. – Nearly one year ago, Longwood women's soccer saw its season end in regrettable fashion. Squaring off against High Point in the 2015 Big South quarterfinals, the Lancers received a premature introduction to the offseason after the Panthers erupted for a 5-0 season-ending rout on Vert Field.
Wednesday night, Longwood (5-8-1, 2-2-1 Big South) turned that 2015 thrashing into fuel for a double-overtime rematch against High Point, battling their Big South powerhouse counterparts to a scoreless draw that earned both teams a coveted point in the conference standings heading into the season's stretch run.
In their return trip to the site of that 2015 season-ending loss, the Lancers got seven saves from junior goalkeeper
Maria Kirby to shut out a High Point (7-5-2, 3-1-1 Big South) team that entered the matchup with a 16-3-4 record on their home turf since 2014. Kirby made three of those saves in the second overtime period, securing a redemptive performance against the Big South's predicted No. 2 finisher.
"The last time we played here for sure made an impact on how we played tonight," said Longwood senior captain
Amanda Spencer. "We wanted to redeem ourselves and prove that last year was a fluke. Even though we didn't get the win, we still came out with a point and are happy to have shut out High Point on their home field."
High Point entered the matchup as the Big South's second leading scoring team but came up scoreless against a Kirby-led defense that bent but never broke. The Lancers withstood 16 shots over the 110-minute battle, including back-to-back attempts on goal inside the game's final minute. Kirby stopped both of those en route to the 12th shutout of her career and fourth of the season, handing High Point only their second clean sheet of the season.
"It definitely feels better than the last time we played here," said Kirby. "I think it was a whole team effort tonight. We communicated and played together to get a good result against one of the best teams in the conference."
Kirby neutralized the High Point offense and lowered her goals against average to 1.07 in the process, good for the second-best clip in the Big South. The Panthers, however, countered Kirby's performance with a stifling defensive effort of their own, holding Longwood to just one shot on goal for the entire game. That one shot came off the foot of Spencer on a second-half breakaway in the 57th minute, but High Point keeper Alex Hank made a point-blank save to preserve the draw.
That strike would be the last opportunity Longwood had at breaking up the deadlock, as the Lancers' final two shots – both from freshman forward
Emilie Kupsov – sailed off target.
The draw bumps Longwood back into the No. 6 spot in the Big South standings, just one point ahead of 2-2 Charleston Southern. The Lancers remain within striking distance of fifth-place Liberty (3-2-0) and fourth-place High Point, and even the first-place trio of Campbell, Gardner-Webb and Radford (4-2-0). That final push begins this Saturday, Oct. 15, at home against UNC Asheville, the first game of a regular-season-ending four-game stretch before the Big South Championship tournament begins on Oct. 29.
"To earn a shutout and a point in the standings against this team, and on this field, is definitely an accomplishment and a step in the right direction for our program," said Longwood head coach
Todd Dyer. "Both teams had good chances, and both defenses and goalkeepers held strong. All in all, I thought both teams deserved to take something from this game. Now we have to do the job Saturday against UNC Asheville."
Saturday's showdown against the eighth-place Bulldogs (7-9-0, 2-4-0 Big South) kicks off at 2 p.m. It will be the first of three final home games for the Lancers, who have the opportunity to host a quarterfinal matchup in the Big South Championship with a top-four league finish.
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