CHARLESTON, S.C. – Janese Quick has picked up a few skills during her time as a Lancer. Saturday afternoon against Charleston Southern, the senior captain used an old standby to extend Longwood's unbeaten streak to four games.
 
Longwood's anchor in the midfield and long-range shooting specialist scored her third career free kick goal, drilling one in from just outside the box in the 63rd minute to lift the Lancers to a 1-0 road win over the Buccaneers Saturday afternoon at CSU Soccer Field.
 
With the game scoreless through the first 62:51, Longwood (8-4-2, 3-1-1 Big South) earned a free chance near the 18 and looked to Quick, who pinpointed her second shot of the game just inside the left post past Charleston Southern's stalwart goalkeeper Alyssa Dellacqua. Dellacqua entered the game as the Big South leader in saves and among the league's top three in goals against average and save percentage, but came out on the short end of a showdown between two of the Big South's top goalkeepers opposite Longwood netminder Maria Kirby.
 
"The first half was rough for us," said Quick. "A lot of us were tired from going into double overtime, sick and-or knicked-up, but we turned the corner in the second half and came together as a team. It wasn't our best game, but it's important that we can still find a way to win not just on our best days, but days where it doesn't come as easily too."
 
The win extends the Lancers' unbeaten streak to four games and gives them a 3-0-1 record during that stretch. The lone draw of that stretch came three days earlier when the Lancers battled first-place Campbell to a 2-2 double-overtime draw.
 
The effects of Longwood's 110-minute marathon against the Fighting Camels lingered early Saturday, as the supercharged Buccaneers (4-7-2, 2-2-1 Big South) put the Lancers on their heels in the first half. Charleston Southern outshot Longwood 11-5 through the first 45 minutes and did not allow a single shot on goal, marking only the third half this season in which the Lancers failed to put a shot on target.
 
That Longwood trudged into halftime still tied 0-0 came down to a game-saving performance from Kirby, who registered five of her six saves in the first half.
 
"We had to suffer mentally and physically to get something out of that one," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer. "Our performance in the first half was way out of character for us, and Charleston Southern almost made us pay for that. Give our girls credit for adjusting at the half and committing to a stronger showing in the second half."
 
Longwood came out firing in the second half, taking five of the game's next six shots and jumping out to a 1-0 lead on Quick's free kick. That score was a welcome reward for Kirby – Quick's roommate and senior classmate – who went on to hold off the Buccaneers the rest of the way en route to her Big South-leading seventh shutout of the season.
 
"Quick bailed us out with another free kick, and we almost ended the game with two late chances after that," Dyer said. "We will take the three points and turn our focus to Radford now."
 
Now in sole possession of fourth place, Longwood will take on the other eight-win team in the Big South this Wednesday, Oct. 11, when they host Commonwealth rival Radford at the Longwood Athletics Complex at 7 p.m. That game will mark the start of Longwood's final four-game stretch of the regular season, which also includes road matchups at UNC Asheville and Gardner-Webb and a home finale against Liberty.

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