SPARTANBURG, S.C. – It had been 477 days since Longwood women's soccer last took the field, so they can be forgiven if they weren't quite ready to end their first game back after just 90 minutes.
Grinding to a double-overtime draw that featured the first career goal from freshman forward
Alex Dinger, Longwood (0-0-1) officially opened the long-awaited 2021 spring season with a 1-1 tie against Big South rival USC Upstate (0-0-1) Sunday afternoon at County University Soccer Stadium.
In a 110-minute season opener that was their first game since Nov. 2, 2019, the Lancers outshot USC Upstate 25-7 and put 13 of those attempts on goal, including an early strike from the freshman Dinger that put them ahead 1-0 in the 22nd minute.
Longwood held that lead through halftime until Spartan freshman Raegan Meyer knotted the score and matched Dinger with the first goal of her collegiate career in the 60th minute. The Lancer defense bounced back after that free kick goal, however, limiting the Spartans to just one shot the rest of the way, including both overtimes.
"For such a long layoff between games, I thought we started off well," said head coach
Todd Dyer, whose 27th season as Longwood's head coach and program founder was delayed until the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We had possession, created lots of chances and got that critical first goal. Then I thought we flattened out a bit in terms of our energy, and we became very reactive. To concede like we did on a free kick that was deflected as unfortunate, but I feel like we brought that on ourselves by playing too deep in our own end."
Senior forward
Kennedy Culbreath was the catalyst to Dinger's goal, connecting with her fellow starter with a pass into the box that Dinger finished off with her left foot. The assist was the 10th of Culbreath's career, while the goal was Dinger's first and came on the third of her team-high seven shots in Sunday's opener.
Defensively, the Lancers rolled out a starting backfield that included All-Big South senior and four-year starter
Carrie Reaver, fellow senior
Emily Mothersbaugh, junior
Kylie Cahill and freshman
Alayna Palamar, all of whom played triple-digit minutes. USC Upstate managed just three shots on goal against that group, allowing All-Big South senior goalkeeper
Madison Van Dyke to face just two shots on the day.
Along with Palamar and Dinger, freshmen
Amanda Arnone,
Katelyn Laux and
Isabella Unrath also made their collegiate debuts.
"At least we have a game under our belt now and know what we can do well and what we still need to work on," Dyer said. "The bottom line is we are very thankful to be out here again doing what we love together."
The Lancers will now get a full week to prepare for their next game, which will be the home opener against Garnder-Webb this Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
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