FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood senior Maria Kirby turned away seven shots and earned her 20th career shutout, becoming only the third player in school history to reach that mark as the Lancers surged past UNC Greensboro 1-0 Friday evening at UNCG Soccer Stadium.
 
Making her 39th consecutive start, the reigning Big South Defensive Player of the Week also hit the 200-save plateau for her career en route to extending the Lancers' best start since 2012. Her season-high seven saves made a first-half goal from Sheyenne Stretz stand as the game-winner and gave Longwood (5-2) its Big South-leading fourth shutout of the season.
 
"That was a meaningful win for our program and certainly hard-earned," said head coach Todd Dyer. "It's the first time we've ever faced each other, so we were eager to see how we stacked up against one of the premier athletic programs in the Southern Conference.
 
"Shey's goal was special, and we need moments like that in tight games, especially on the road. We will appreciate this night for the next few hours and then get ready for UMBC on Sunday."
 
UNCG entered the matchup as the predicted fourth-place finisher in the Southern Conference, but they ran into a brick wall in the form of Kirby. The most recent shutout for Longwood's three-year starting keeper added another notch to a historic career that has placed her among Longwood's all-time top five in goals against average (0.89), save percentage (0.830), minutes (4168) and shutouts. Her four shutouts this season lead the Big South, as do her 0.42 goals against average and 0.893 save percentage this season.
 
With Kirby and her All-Big South first-team defender Sydney Wallace locking down Longwood's goal, the Lancers needed just one goal to overcome a UNC Greensboro (2-4-1) team whose only home loss this season came at the hands of still-undefeated Clemson. Stretz came through with the game-winner, finding the back of the net with a left-footed bullet from the top of the box for her first goal of the season.
 
Freshman Kennedy Culbreath also picked up a milestone of her own, earning her first career assist with the feed to Stretz that set her up for the game-winning goal.
 
The win gives Longwood four wins in the past five games and a 5-2 start to the year that mirrors the 2012 team, which finished with a Division I era-best 13-6-2 record. The 2017 Lancers will have a chance to extend that mark even further this Sunday, Sept. 10, when they head to Baltimore, Md., to take on UMBC in their third straight road game.
 
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