September 22, 2006

BOX SCORE

Boca Raton, Fla.-- The Longwood University men’s soccer team battled back from a one-goal deficit to earn a 1-1 tie with Florida Atlantic in its conference opener Friday evening in Boca Raton, Florida.  The tie puts the Lancers at 1-6-2 on the season and 0-0-1 in Atlantic Soccer play, while Florida Atlantic stands at 2-5-1 overall and 0-0-1 in conference play.  Longwood will be back in action on Sunday, September 24 as they face North Florida in a 1 p.m. match.
    
The Owls struck early in the first half, as the Longwood defense was beat on a long ball that fell to a FAU player, who dribbled in and beat LU keeper Brandt Youmans/Gaithersburg, Md. (Damascus) for the 1-0 lead.
    
After a see-saw match in the second half, Longwood cashed in on an Owl foul that was placed 25 yards out with six minutes to go.  Freshman Martin Vickerton/West Hallam, England (Kirk Hallam Technical College) took the free kick for Longwood and struck the ball well, sending it to the top left corner tying the score at one and sending the game to overtime.  The goal was the first of Vickerton’s career in a Lancer uniform.
    
In extra time freshman Chernor Diallo/Alexandria (Mount Vernon) carried the ball in on a breakaway, bringing the Florida Atlantic goalie off the line.  Diallo fired a hard shot that the keeper got a piece of and was cleared out before freshman Giovanni Peralta/Lorton (Robert E. Lee) could get a foot on it.
    
“We came out slow and was outworked in the first half,” said head coach Jon Atkinson.  “But we regrouped and really disrupted the rhythm of a technical FAU team in the second half and overtime periods. “