FARMVILLE, Va. – Not even an afternoon downpour could cool off the hottest team in the Big South.
 
Extending their Big South win streak to a league-leading six in a row, the Lancers (7-5-4, 6-0-2 Big South) scored three times in the first 15 minutes and twice more in the second half to cruise to a 5-0 victory over USC Upstate Saturday afternoon at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
 
The five-goal rout featured braces from both Alayna Palamar and Kiersten Yuhas, and kept the Lancers unbeaten in the Big South and in sole possession of second place in the league standings. That performance also came against a USC Upstate (5-7-1, 3-4-0 Big South) team that entered the day ranked among the Big South's top three in both goals against average and saves.
 
"Wow. It feels good to capitalize on the chance we've been creating throughout the season," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer. "We had to play really well to earn that result against a very tough Upstate team. Our ball movement and movement off the ball was a big reason for our success. Not conceding a goal was just as important as scoring the ones we did."
 
Battling a rainstorm that started minutes after kickoff, Longwood strung together an opening flurry that featured three different goal-scorers, with Palamar scoring first and All-Big South forwards Yuhas and Alex Dinger following shortly after. Dinger also assisted on each of those first two goals, while Yuhas helped out Dinger on the third.
 
Yuhas and Palamar went on to add their second goals of the game within two minutes of each other in the second half – Yuhas' unassisted and Palamar's on a cross from freshman Grace Taylor – to cement Longwood's highest-scoring Big South game since joining the conference in 2012.
 
"We talked before the game about how we needed to stay focused no matter what type of game it is," said Palamar, who moved into midfield from her normal spot in the backfield Sunday and delivered the first two goals of her career.
 
"We focused on having high pressure from the start. That's why we came out flying. Even if we lose the ball, we have the mantra of being the player to get it back. That's why we were able to keep possession today, and it's why we've been able to do that most of the season."
 
Longwood's control of the game also produced the team's highest-scoring first half of the season and fourth multi-goal game since the start of Big South play eight games ago. During that time, the Lancers have outscored their league opposition 15-5, registered five shutouts – including their third consecutive clean sheet Saturday – and rattled off an unbeaten streak that reached eight games Saturday.
 
The performance also broke a trend of narrow results for the Lancers, who entered Saturday with 13 of their 14 games this season decided by one goal or fewer. The previous five of those were all one-goal wins during the Lancers' current streak, which is the longest active tear in the conference.
 
The win keeps Longwood within one point of league frontrunner Campbell, who holds a 21-20 advantage on the league's points leaderboard with two Big South contests remaining for each team. Longwood's final two matchups will be against High Point next Wednesday, Oct. 20, in Farmville, and at UNC Asheville on Oct. 23, while Campbell finishes off the regular season against Charleston Southern and USC Upstate on the same dates.
 
Already guaranteed a spot in the six-team Big South Championship tournament, the Lancers will continue their pursuit of a top seed and a first-round bye.
 
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