MUNCIE, Ind. – Kolbey Donahue and Zoe Tierney each picked up their first career goals and the suffocating Lancer defense held Ball State to just one shot as Longwood field hockey beat Ball State 3-0 on Friday afternoon at the Briner Sports Complex.
 
The Lancers' dominant performance marked their fewest shots allowed by Mid-American Conference foe since holding Central Michigan to just two on Sept. 20, 2019. The stifling defensive effort, led by the backline of Donahue, Rio Weber, Caroline Verhappen and Ana Paula Lazaro as well as an active Lancer midfield in Cammy Toddy, Charlotte Wilm, and Sophia Loscher, culminated in a 17-1 shots advantage for Longwood, as well as a 10-1 edge in penalty corners.
 
"We are very happy with a win," said Longwood head coach Iain Byers. "Ball State is a very talented and hard team to beat, so to play so well as a group was very impressive. We hope to have a similar performance in game two tomorrow."
 
Friday's win marks the second-straight victory over Ball State for Longwood, as they won by the same score in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals on Nov. 7, 2019 in Oxford, Ohio. The three-goal performance marks their season-best offensive output in 2021, and extended Longwood's goal scoring streak to 13 games while marking their second shutout in 2021 and their fourth over that 13-game stretch.
 
Donahue, who played all 60 minutes in the center of the Longwood defense on Friday, also led the team with four shots including her first career goal. Jamie Wright inserted a penalty corner to Sophia Loscher, who stopped it for Donahue before the junior ripped a low shot into the net to give the Lancers a 2-0 lead in the third quarter.
 
Freshman Zoe Tierney broke the ice in the first half for the Lancers, putting Longwood up 1-0 after a feed from Wilm which would serve as the eventual game-winning goal. Fellow freshman Isis Vrolijks capped the big offensive day with just one second left, tapping in a feed from Karly Harwood for her second goal of the season to bring the final score to 3-0.
 
In net, Lancer goalkeeper Madison Nuckols stopped the lone shot she faced to record her first career win and shutout for Longwood. Her counterpart in the Ball State goal, Wietske Overdijkink, made a season-high nine saves for the Cardinals.
 
The Lancers will look to make it two in a row in the second game of the back-to-back set with the Cardinals on Saturday, March 27 at 12 p.m.
 
#GoWood