GREENSBORO, N.C. – Longwood's Cinderella run came to an end in the 94th minute of its semifinal match against top-seeded High Point Friday afternoon at Bryan Park, as a golden goal from Becca Rolfe gave the Panthers a 1-0 win over the fifth-seeded Lancers in the Big South Tournament.
 
Rolfe scored her second goal of the season off a set piece in the opening overtime period to send the Panthers (13-5-2) to their second Big South Championship game in a three-year span.    
 
After winning four of its last five matches entering Friday's semifinal and advancing to its second semifinal since joining the Big South prior to the 2012 season, the Lancers (8-10-2) see their season come to an end.
 
"It stings to lose in the end like that, but give High Point credit for grinding out a result in the end," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer. "I'm proud of our team and going into overtime of the semifinal against the regular season champion and No. 1 seed speaks volumes about our program."
 
Sparked by a strong defensive effort led by All-Big South First-Team selection Sydney Wallace and honorable mention goalkeeper Maria Kirby, the Longwood back line held their opponent without a goal for 431 consecutive minutes over four-game period before Rolfe's strike. Furthermore, the Lancers held the Big South's third-leading offensive attack and regular season champion to one goal in two games this season.
 
Amanda Spencer nearly provided the heroics for the upset-minded Lancers in the 88th minute, heading a ball just to the left of the net that clanked off the left post of High Point goalkeeper Alex Hank.
 
"We had our chances to win and were in the game to the very end and ultimately a set piece was the deciding factor," Dyer said.
 
For the game, Kirby had five saves and faced 15 shots, while Hank faced six Longwood shots and made one save.
 
The game marks the end of the career for Christina Corbin, Gina Dorazio, Jayden Metzger, Jessica O'Bryant and Spencer. Those five seniors combined to win 34 games throughout their four seasons in Farmville and helped the Lancers make three Big South Tournaments and advance to their first semifinal since the 2012 season.
 
"There's a lot of love and character in our Longwood soccer family, led by a special group of seniors," Dyer said. "I'm sure we'll all grow from this experience."
 
Spencer ends her career as one of the top players in Big South history, as she is one of 24 players to earn All-Big South honors in four consecutive seasons. She finishes third-place on Longwood's all-time goals list and first-place in the Division I era with 26 career goals and at least tied for the team lead in goals scored during all four years of competition.
 
With the conclusion of its season, Longwood will turn its attention to the 2017 campaign where the Lancers will have five seniors and return Wallace and Janese Quick, who each matched Spencer with a team-high four goals this season. Overall, Longwood will return 22 letterwinners, including four of five players that captured Big South accolades this season.
 
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