RALEIGH, N.C. – In their first road test of the season, a focused and feisty Longwood men's soccer team stood tall at NC State under the lights. The Lancers (1-1-0) put forward an impressive 90 minute effort, but a first half NC State (2-1-0) goal proved to be the difference as the team's upset bid came up short in a 1-0 loss.
"It's early in the season, and if you said we would compete for 90 minutes and stay within a goal of a top team, I would be somewhat enthused," said Longwood head coach
Jon Atkinson. "In saying that, we have so much more to give, and games like this challenge you to play at a higher, more consistent level."
The Wolfpack muscled their way to 18 shots (eight on goal), but
Jacob Reimers was a force of nature in goal for Longwood. Reimers piled up seven saves, two shy of his career high, and repeatedly denied NC State an opportunity to break the game open and build a multi-goal lead.
Reimers even made the initial save on NC State's lone goal after batting aside a header by Jamie Smith in the 34
th minute. NC State's Pablo Pedregosa was first to the rebound though and tucked a bouncing ball into the left corner before Reimers could recover to give NC State a 1-0 lead.
From that point on, Longwod's offense was unable to get much traction going forward, and NC State held the Lancers without a shot after halftime. The Lancer defense returned the favor in a physical contest and only gave up seven shots (two on goal) in the final 45 minutes.
Willie Miezan and
Ander Etxaniz created the best chances for Longwood in the 22
nd and 25
th minute. Miezan's shot whistled wide while Etxaniz forced NC State's Vinnie Durand to make a save.
"While we had plenty of the ball, we must use this game to do better with the ball and put our offensive abilities to test in a sustained manner," said Atkinson.
"I'm confident this will come. I enjoy coaching this group of lads, I know they enjoy the team. There is a camaraderie already, and the new additions have already contributed and shown they belong at this level. A fair result in the end and lessons to be learned."
Longwood heads back home for a single game and will host in-state foe VMI on Wednesday, September 11 at 7 p.m. at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
#GoWood
