LYNCHBURG, Va. – Longwood men's soccer wrapped up a two-match road swing at Liberty on Tuesday night, but the Lancers (3-1-1) found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-1 score line.
Mason Butcher posted his second goal of the season, but the Flames (4-1) scored two goals in the latter stages of the first half that proved to be the difference.
SCORING:
1 2 FINAL
LWU 0 1 1
LIB 2 1 3
28' | LIB—Michael Huss (3), assist Skyler Stricker, Leo Conneh
38' | LIB—Bryce Swinehart (2), assist Matthew Torrell
48' | LWU—
Mason Butcher (2), assist
James Bolger,
Emilio Segovia
65' | LIB—Luke Eberle (2): Penalty Kick
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Statistically, the match was fairly even between the two sides throughout the contest. Both teams created chances, with Longwood posting 10 shots while Liberty had 12. The Lancers managed to put eight shots on target to Liberty's five.
However, it was Liberty that struck first on Michael Huss's goal in the 28
th minute. A cross pinballed through the box, and Huss played it off a deflection into the back of the net.
After Bryce Swinehart made it 2-0 for the Flames before halftime, Longwood answered early in the second half. Butcher capped a wonderful sequence for the Lancers with a touch-in from the left side to trim the lead to 2-1.
The tic-tac-toe pattern started with
Anthony Roland, who found
Ethan Stevenson. Stevenson one-timed a pass to
Emilio Segovia, who promptly curled it through to
James Bolger. Bolger cut the ball across to Butcher on the far post for the goal.
The Flames were able to fend off Longwood, in part, due to a penalty kick that re-established a two-goal lead and left the Lancers chasing hard after the game for the final stretch.
WHAT THEY SAID:
"It was a close balanced game decided upon who took their chances," said Longwood Head Coach
Jon Atkinson. "We obviously know the answer to that, and I believe we learned a lot about ourselves tonight and areas we need to develop. That's what the out of conference games will give you: a chance to get better. Let's make sure we do."
"We may have deserved an earlier goal on the balance of play, but it wasn't to be, and we left ourselves open to what Liberty do well, which is transition football," Atkinson added. "I don't have any arguments with the outcome. We had our chances and didn't take them. I feel enthused with the way we set about coming back into the game and showed plenty of character in the process, which we will need plenty of as we fast approach conference play."
UP NEXT:
Longwood hosts Saint Francis on Saturday, September 16. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m., and the match will be aired on ESPN+.
#GoWood #HorsePower
