FARMVILLE, Va. – At home this season, Longwood field hockey has been a nigh unstoppable force. That didn't change on Friday night, as the Lancers blanked Appalachian State 3-0 at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field.
 
In a critical matchup of two teams that came tied in tied in the middle of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings, Longwood (8-4, 3-2 MAC) protected its home turf. Senior defender Rio Weber led the charge on offense with a goal and an assist as part of an efficient, deadly Lancer attack. Ana Paula Lazaro and Kate Frey proved to be capable sidekicks, with each scoring a goal of their own as Longwood stayed tied for third behind Kent State and Miami of Ohio.
 
The top scoring offense in the MAC knocked home all three goals on three penalty corners in the first half to give a cushion, and the defense extended a home shutout streak to five matches. The backline of Weber, Kolbey Donahue and Paula Lazaro along with goalkeeper Madison Nuckols has yet to surrender a goal on their home turf yet this season.
 
"What Coach Byers said at the end of the game was that we did really well adapting each quarter," said Weber, whose three points in the match were a career best. "We may not have scored in the second half, but we tried to control the game. And I thought we did control the game. We were just trying to make sure we didn't make any huge mistakes."
 
That control kept a lid on an Appalachian State (5-6, 2-3 MAC) attack that had tallied 12 goals in its previous four matches and limited the Mountaineers to three shots in the second half, seven for the match.
 
The Lancers took the lead in the first quarter behind Paula Lazaro's fourth goal of the season. Off a corner, Weber pushed a ball towards the cage, and Paula Lazaro deflected it up and over the goalkeepers outstretched hands for a 1-0 lead in the first quarter.
 
Frey punched home a rebound off a Weber shot less than three minutes into the second quarter, and Weber added her own goal with 14 seconds to play in the half with a straightaway shot off a corner.
 
From that point on, Longwood fended off every attempt by Appalachian State and controlled the tempo to preserve the shutout.
 
"Our focus is on making the tournament, and we have to win our next two conference games to do that," Weber said. "We know we can win those games. We just have to execute on what we know how to do."
 
The Lancers have three matches remaining this season, beginning with a non-conference tilt against ninth-ranked Liberty on Sunday at 1 p.m., with the match aired on ESPN+ The team then closes the year by hosting Ball State on Friday, Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. before traveling to Ohio on Saturday, Oct. 30 for the regular season finale.
 
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