ATHENS, OHIO – In its first Mid-American Conference road test of the season, the Longwood field hockey team was able to grab an early two-goal lead and ride out the second half to a 2-1 win Friday night at Ohio to stay a perfect 3-0 in conference play.

Just five days after scoring a penalty corner goal to force an overtime period with no time remaining on the clock at top 25 foe American, Longwood (10-2, 3-0 MAC) junior forward Leonie Verstraete closed the first half with an identical goal to push the lead to 2-0 at the break, a goal that would stand as the difference in the 2-1 win over Ohio (3-9, 1-3 MAC).

"All over the field we had high effort and a strong performance. We used our chances well and defended as a team putting our bodies on the line," said senior defender and team captain Lil-Sophie Achterwinter. "It was definitely one of our toughest games in the MAC so far but the team handled it well."

Achterwinter added, "It was a battle, but we stayed composed and came out on top. What is important is now to enjoy this win tonight, but come back out tomorrow with a strong practice preparing us for a tough game against Miami (Ohio) on Sunday. Another win is great and gets us ahead in the MAC, however, we will not stop here."

Verstraete's team-leading 12th goal of the season came on the heels of Charlotte Wilm's first career collegiate mark in the 19th-minute on the first penalty corner.

"Scoring my first career goal was overwhelming, but it was a great feeling to get one in for the team and it was a complete team effort seeing that it came off a rebound on a corner," said Wilm, who tallied her first career goal after making her Lancer debut last month just before the team's five-game win streak. "The game in general was tough, and we had to fight our way towards the win. We're excited to have won our third conference game in a row and are looking forward to a tough game on Sunday."

The two penalty corners were also the lone two shots for Longwood in the opening 35 minutes as they made the most of the opportunities they were able to create.

"Even though we left the first half 2-0, our team really struggled to find our groove in the first half. Towards the end we finally found our niche and went into the second half way stronger improving every aspect of our game," said junior goalkeeper and team captain Katie Wyman, who was strong in net all night.

On a night that saw a combined 11 shots between the Lancers and Bobcats, Wyman collected the only save of the contest on just two Ohio shots on goal.

On the first offensive penalty corner, Wilm was able to take a loose ball off a rebound and send it past Bobcat goalkeeper Alex Pennington to break the scoreless tie with her first career game-winner before Verstraete delivered the second blow to close the frame.

"Ironically enough, I was telling Charlotte [Wilm] before the game to try and score and get some shots off is she could and be confident in her skills," said Achterwinter on her childhood friend and now-teammate Wilm's first collegiate goal. "It felt great seeing her get the ball in the net and putting us ahead of Ohio."

Ohio finally broke through for a goal in the 69th-minute and made things interesting down the stretch before a last-second shot attempt went wide, allowing Longwood to come away with the victory.

"I am so excited and happy we are 3-0 in the MAC. I am beyond proud of all the work the team has put in the past weeks," Wyman said. "I could not be any happier to be on a team with these girls because they motivate me to be better every day."

"It was a really tough game against a strong Ohio team. We're really proud of the resilience shown throughout the 70 minutes. There were some huge challenges that we had to overcome and I'm proud of how we adapted to get the win and go 3-0 in conference," said 10th-year head coach Iain Byers, who has led the Lancers to their first 10-win season since joining the MAC.

Longwood stays in the state of Ohio as they take on Miami (Ohio) for a first-place showdown Sunday at 1 p.m. The winner of Sunday's contest will walk away in the driver's seat to a top-seed in the upcoming MAC Championships after the RedHawks took down reigning champion Kent State just one week ago.

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