Stretching their Big South winning streak to a program-record five games, their unbeaten streak to seven, and maintaining a hold on first place in the Big South standings with three games remaining, Longwood (6-5-4, 5-0-2 Big South) gutted out a 1-0 win over Charleston Southern on a rainy Saturday afternoon at the Longwood Athletics Complex.
The Lancers and Buccaneers (4-5-1, 3-3-0 Big South) were deadlocked at 0-0 for nearly 80 minutes before Longwood All-Big South midfielder and team captain Madison Lockamy finally broke through with the game-winning goal in the 79th minute. That game-winner was Lockamy's third of the season and 13th of her career and provided the breakthrough Longwood needed against a defensive-minded Charleston Southern team that played the bulk of the game with eight players in their back third.
Lockamy's game-winner, set up by a well-placed pass from sophomore Kaley Unger, gave the Lancers all the cushion they needed to pull off their fifth straight one-goal win. The goal was a long time coming, as the Lancers pounded the Buccaneer goal throughout and finished with a 14-9 advantage in shots, putting eight of those on goal.
"Another game decided by one goal or less. Business as usual, I guess," said Longwood head coach Todd Dyer. "That shows the character of this team to be able to grind out results in so many tight games like that. Charleston Southern was a tough matchup systematically, so credit to our players for finding a solution in the end and getting the goal we needed. The bye week coming up for us will be a much-needed chance to heal, regroup and refocus for the home stretch."
Charleston Southern goalkeeper Jenna Moran kept the Lancers at bay with seven saves but could not turn away Lockamy's one-timer on Unger's pass directly in front of the net. That goal also snapped a streak of three consecutive shutout wins for Charleston Southern, which entered the game following 2-0 wins against Presbyterian and UNC Asheville and a 1-0 win against Gardner-Webb Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Longwood kept its own shutout streak intact thanks to a five-save effort from senior goalkeeper Jordan Horacek and a stifling performance from Longwood's backfield. That unit has now earned three shutouts in the past five games and four shutouts in Big South play overall.
Lockamy, fellow graduate student, captain and midfielder Madison Hommey, and the underclassman defensive duo of Amanda Arnone and Brooke Bonner all put in marathon 90-minute efforts in the win, while sophomore defender Alayna Palamar and junior midfielder Catharine Forst played 80 apiece.
Now with just three games remaining and a temporary four-point lead for first place in the Big South standings, the Lancers will gear up for their final three-game stretch before the start of the 2021 Big South Championship. They will have a full week to prepare for the next of those, which brings USC Upstate to campus for a 2 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 16. A showdown against perennial conference power High Point follows on Oct. 20 in the home finale and Senior Day, before Longwood wraps up the regular season on the road at UNC Asheville on Oct. 23.
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Win Streak Reaches Five as Longwood Tops Charleston Southern 1-0 - Longwood Athletics
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