FARMVILLE, Va. - Led by a relentless offense that generated 19 shots and two goals, Longwood women's soccer beat UNC Asheville 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Lancers (2-0-3) remained unbeaten in 2021 through five conference contests. After tying their previous two matches 0-0, goals from
Catharine Forst and
Alex Dinger ensured the full three points for Longwood, as they improved to 2-0 on their home field in 2021.
"It feels good to get another three points at home," said Longwood head coach
Todd Dyer. "We made it hard on ourselves at times by not keeping the ball but give Asheville credit for fighting until the end and creating some nervy moments for us defensively. All of these conference games are a battle and very tight most of the time so we truly appreciate the result."
The Longwood attack pestered the Bulldog defense all afternoon, as seven Lancers recorded shots on Sunday. Leading the offensive surge was
Alex Dinger, who racked up seven shots including five on goal. The freshman used a corner kick give-and-go with teammate
Kiersten Yuhas to get free at the top of the Asheville box before blasting a shot through traffic and into the Bulldog net to score the eventual game-winner-- her team-high third goal of the season.
Joining Dinger on the score sheet was Forst, who broke the ice in the first half with her first career goal. The sophomore lifted a shot from near the end line over the outstretched arms of Bulldog goalkeeper Courtney O'Malley, floating the ball into the back right corner to give the Lancers a 1-0 lead in the 40
th minute.
UNC Asheville (0-5) was able to snap Longwood's shutout streak of over three games, as the Lancers conceded just their second goal in 510 minutes this season, and the first since their opening match against USC Upstate on Feb. 21. Kaiya Boyd played a ball into the Lancer box from the sideline, as Madison Carter volleyed it out of the air and into the net to get Asheville within a goal, 2-1 in the 60
th minute.
However, that would be the lone blemish against goalkeeper
Madison Van Dyke, who ended with four saves in her second win of the season. Despite conceding a rare goal, the Longwood defense, led by performances from
Carrie Reaver,
Alayna Palamar,
Kylie Cahill,
Emily Mothersbaugh and
Madison Hommey held Asheville to just nine shots, their fourth time limiting their opponent to single-digit shots in 2021. In total, Longwood held the edge in shots 19-9, while being awarded five corners and conceding just one.
"We gave up a goal today which was unfortunate, but I still think our defense did enough to make sure we were secure in the back so that we can press forward," said Hommey, a senior from Woodsboro, Maryland. "Our defense has been solid every game, and we are still have an undefeated.
"Working on scoring is something we can still improve on, but we produced a lot more shots today and had a lot more chances, which is encouraging," added Hommey. "I think continuing to move in that direction and generate more chances is important for us."
The Lancers will continue their homes stand on Sunday, March 28 as they host Winthrop. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m., and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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