September 17, 2011

Box Score

FARMVILLE, Va. - The Longwood University men's soccer team topped visiting Towson University of the Colonial Athletic Association 1-0 on Saturday evening at the Athletics Complex in Farmville. Senior Chris Saul|Pasadena, Md. (Chesapeake) scored the match-winning goal in the 39th minute while senior goalkeeper Joel Helmick|Springfield (W.T. Woodson) recorded three saves in the shutout victory for the Lancers (2-3-1) over the Tigers (0-3-1). Longwood is back in action on Wednesday, September 21, when it travels to face the Virginia Military Institute at 4 p.m. in Lexington.

Saul scored the match-winning goal at 38:46 after he ripped a shot from 25-yards out on the right wing that landed inside the far post. Longwood's defense withstood three first-half corner kicks by the Tigers, clearing the ball away each time. The Lancers' offensive aggressiveness increased in the second half, with Longwood outshooting Towson 6-3 in the second period. Sophomore Nick Surkamp|Manassas (Osbourn Park) sent a hard shot from 30-yards out in the 63rd minute, but the Towson goalkeeper came up with the save. Senior Zach Mahon|San Antonio, Texas (William Howard Taft) had a shot in the 77th minute that got past the goalkeeper, but was saved on the line by a defender. The defense limited Towson to three shots, just one shot on goal, in the second half to preserve the victory.

“We have played better and lost, so I will take this result,” said head coach Jon Atkinson. “Fair play to Towson as they pegged us back for large parts of the game, but credit to the team for the amount of work they put in to keep Towson off the board. Our back line was big tonight and Joel's presence in goal was a significant factor. Chris Saul will grab the headlines, and deservedly so with a game-winner, but I'm sure he will be the first to acknowledge this was a team effort that got us the win.”

Longwood outshot Towson 8-7, including 4-3 in shots on goal, while the Tigers had a 4-3 edge in corner kicks. Surkamp paced the Lancers with three shots, including two shots on goal, while Helmick made three saves and recorded his 10th career shutout and second clean sheet this season. Olakunle Banjo had two shots on goal for the Tigers, while John Steele made two saves and allowed one goal in the loss.