FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood men's soccer put forth a good effort, but a couple of tough bounces went against them in their conference opener on Saturday afternoon against UNC Asheville.
 
The Bulldogs (6-3-1, 1-1 Big South) used a first half goal to edge the Lancers (3-2-2, 0-1 Big South) 1-0 in a match that was fast, physical, and even.
 
SCORING:
 
               1             2             FINAL
UNCA    1             0             1
LWU      0             0             0
 
35' | UNCA—Benian Yao (1), assist Stewart Patnaud
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
In its first match in two weeks, Longwood came storming out of the gate.
 
The Lancers rifled off three shots and had multiple quality looks at the goal over the first 15 minutes on their home pitch. Ethan Stevenson and Simao Coelho both had solid chances, and Longwood added a pair of corners in that time frame as well.
 
Ultimately though, the final touch proved elusive, and UNC Asheville managed to find its footing in the match. The Bulldogs struck in the 35^th minute when Yao nodded home a cross from Stewart Patnaud for the 1-0 lead.
 
After halftime, the Lancers again found their footing and created pressure forward. The team earned eight corner kicks in the final 45 minutes, with one hitting the post on the service from Gonzalo Carrasco.
 
Tosin Ayokunle also rang the iron with a deflected shot in the 73^rd minute, and Miles Cooper had a great chance blocked off a corner kick in the 86^th minute.
 
The Lancers had three corners following that opportunity, but Asheville wiggled out of every jam.

WHAT THEY SAID:

"Conference games are a different breed, and teams can find a way to grind out a result," said Longwood Head Coach Jon Atkinson. "We need to be humble enough ourselves to do the same. While we started bright and looked the more likely, we found ourselves pegged back and a goal behind, which gave Asheville something to hang onto."

"In the second half, we played more progressive and started knocking on the door, but it wasn't until the last 20 did we really start playing with the urgency needed to claw back into the game," Atkinson added. "We need to heed this lesson and work on this come Tuesday."
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood stays home to host VMI on Tuesday, October 3. Kick-off is slated for 6 p.m., and the match will air on ESPN+.
 
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