October 8, 2011

Box Score

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - The Longwood University men's soccer team dropped its Atlantic Soccer Conference (ASC) opener 2-1 at Adelphi University on Saturday afternoon in Garden City, New York. Sophomore Nick Surkamp|Manassas (Osbourn Park) scored on a penalty kick in the 51st minute to give the Lancers (6-5-1, 0-1 ASC) the 1-0 lead, before the Panthers (4-5-1, 2-0 ASC) scored two goals, including the match-winner by Greg Mallia in the 82nd minute. Longwood returns to action on Tuesday, October 11, when it faces ASC foe New Jersey Institute of Technology at 7 p.m. in Newark, New Jersey.

Longwood attempted to strike first in the match in the 10th minute, but a cross by junior Michael Tegler|Stafford (North Stafford) went long and bounced off of the post. Surkamp struck the rebound at the six-yard box off a high bounce, but his shot sailed over the crossbar. The Lancers outshot the Panthers 4-2 in the first half and had a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks.

In the second half, Longwood took the 1-0 lead after Surkamp converted a penalty kick at 50:54. The Panthers answered at 73:41 with a goal by James Diana, then scored the match-winner at 81:04 after Mallia worked his way through traffic to an open spot on the left side from six yards out.

“We have to hold our hands and say we let this one slip from our grasp,” said head coach Jon Atkinson. “Adelphi had a gameplan which served them well and we didn't do a good job of breaking them down. We had a great chance early on with an open goal which could have changed the complexion of the match, but sometimes you don't get the breaks. It is disappointing, but I'm looking forward to NJIT on Tuesday to bounce back.”

Adelphi outshot Longwood 7-6 and had a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal, while both teams attempted four corner kicks. Surkamp attempted a match-high three shots, including two shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Joel Helmick|Springfield (W.T. Woodson) made two saves while playing 90 minutes in goal. Diana and Mallia each attempted a pair of shots for the Panthers, while Christopher Herrera made two saves while playing the duration in goal.